Individualized treatment of craniopharyngioma

  Craniopharyngioma originates from the embryonic remnant epithelial cells of the craniopharynx. It is a benign intracranial congenital tumor. Most of the tumors are located in the saddle area and have a hard texture, which can easily erode and adhere to the important neurovascular structures such as optic nerve, pituitary stalk, hypothalamus, and internal carotid artery and its branches without envelope separation from normal tissues and structures; at the same time, they can invade the three ventricles and enter the lateral ventricles through the interventricular foramen to cause hydrocephalus. Based on the above characteristics, craniopharyngioma is the most widespread tumor in human body, including visual and visual field damage, hypothalamic abnormalities such as urinary failure, obesity and pituitary hypofunction, and physical and reproductive development stagnation in children and mental abnormalities in adults due to low social and family adaptation ability. Hydrocephalus may occur due to upward invasion of the tumor into the ventricles. Although the average survival of the tumor is long, the quality of life of patients is low across the board.  Given the complexity of the disease itself, it is currently the most treated intracranial tumor, including: total surgical resection, partial resection with fractionated radiation therapy or stereotactic radiation therapy, and cystic fluid aspiration + isotope intracapsular radiation therapy for mainly cystic lesions. The main controversial aspects of treatment for intracranial tumors include: surgical resection with the goal of total resection and partial resection with fractionated radiotherapy and stereotactic radiosurgery, surgical resection with cystic fluid aspiration with intracapsular isotope radiation therapy. The goal of treatment is much more than the control of the tumor itself and the prolongation of survival, it should be the removal of the tumor control while maintaining a good survival status as much as possible. Doctors are not martial artists, and in the face of complex diseases, they cannot presume to unify the world with their own kung fu. It is a revisionist attitude to irresponsibly emphasize the absolute advantages of a particular treatment option in isolation from the characteristics of the disease itself.  In fact, all of the above treatment methods have been clinically proven to be effective, only the indications are different. At the same time, hormone replacement therapy for endocrine abnormalities should not be ignored. For children, physical development should not be neglected, leaving patients with regrets that they are too late to grow up. Blindly emphasizing on the internet and literature that no incision is needed and minimally invasive is suspected of misleading patients. Naval General Hospital has been working on individualized treatment of craniopharyngioma for many years and has made remarkable achievements. We welcome all patients to visit us. There are various regrets in life, and our aim is not to make you feel sorry for choosing us.