The spine group at Beihang Hospital has extensive experience in this area and is a leader in China. Patients with spinal tumors are usually given priority for hospitalization and can be added directly to the outpatient clinic Outpatient addition: Dr. Jiang Liang’s clinic is always available for such patients (every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday afternoon), unless there are special circumstances. In addition, Dr. Wei Feng, deputy director of the Department of Orthopedics, and Dr. Liuchen, a specialist in the Department of Radiology, are also available. Spinal lesions are rare. Because spinal tumors vary in condition, there are many types, and the corresponding treatment methods vary greatly, they are still a medical challenge. Common misconceptions: 1. After discovering spinal lesions, patients directly ask: how to treat them? Explanation: In fact, the most important thing is diagnosis, and correct diagnosis is the prerequisite for reasonable treatment. The general lung tumors and liver tumors are just 3~5 types, which are better to judge. In contrast, there are 50~60 types of spinal tumors, and ten common ones; in addition, spinal tumors are easily confused with spinal tuberculosis and infection. Diagnosis often requires a combination of clinical + imaging + pathology, which is not simple and clear. Even for the most experienced doctors, the correct diagnosis rate is only 70% just by looking at the films, while general doctors are more likely to misdiagnose. 2.Is it better to remove spinal tumor? For general tumors, surgery is sufficient. But spinal tumors are often not so simple. A comprehensive examination is necessary to confirm the diagnosis and develop a comprehensive and reasonable treatment plan. The diagnosis of spinal tumors often requires joint consultation with orthopedics, radiology, and pathology to ensure the correct diagnosis rate; the treatment requires joint consultation with spinal surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, intervention, and other related departments. In order to improve the quality of diagnosis and treatment of patients with spinal tumors, joint case discussions and regular consultations have been set up at Beihang Hospital for this purpose. 3. When spinal tumor is found, do surgery quickly. Explanation: This is not the case —- is often easy to make mistakes in busy. We often encounter patients who have been treated in other hospitals and encountered serious problems after hurried treatment before being referred to Beihang Hospital. The main problem is that they are “in too much of a hurry”. Spinal tumor surgery is often a “one-time” operation. If the first surgery is not done properly, it is very difficult to remedy the situation afterwards. Curing a disease is similar to fighting a war. If you rush into surgery, it is like a “narrow battle” or a “big defeat”. Appropriate treatment requires a comprehensive analysis of the condition —- like a comprehensive intelligence analysis; surgery is like a battle —– not to fight an unprepared battle. 4.Why do I need a biopsy when a spinal lesion is found and surgery is performed directly? Common tests are CT and MRI (local examination), some patients also need bone scan, PET-CT (whole body examination). These examinations are like satellite images, where you can see the pattern but do not know the specifics. This is somewhat similar to North Korea’s satellite launch —- Although the United States has high-tech satellite image analysis, but can not accurately determine the actual situation of the satellite. Most spinal tumors require a biopsy prior to treatment. This is like mining, where a well has to be drilled and probed first. The North Medical Center has been performing CT-guided puncture biopsies for more than 20 years, with a diagnostic accuracy rate of 85-94% (for different pathological types). General biopsies are done on an outpatient basis without hospitalization; general puncture takes 30 minutes; general biopsy pathology report takes 5~7 days; the whole time consuming takes 7~10 days and costs 3000~5000 RMB. 5.What are the common spinal tumors? Spinal metastases are tumors that do not originally grow on the spine but “run” from other parts of the spine. Common categories include: lung cancer, breast cancer, thyroid cancer, kidney cancer, prostate cancer, etc. Primary tumors of the spine are tumors that originally grow on the spine. The common categories include: chordoma, giant cell tumor, osteoblastoma, hemangioma, myeloma, aneurysmal bone cyst, osteoid osteoma, neurofibroma, nerve sheath tumor, chondrosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, etc. The details of these tumors are described in this website. 6.They are all spinal tumors and the treatment methods are similar. Explanation: This is not true. Personalized treatment is needed according to the patient’s individual disease, age and condition: the orthopedics, radiology, pathology, radiotherapy and chemotherapy departments of Beihang Hospital form a team to jointly consult each patient with spinal lesions and develop a personalized diagnosis and treatment plan. 7.Spinal metastatic cancer (tumor) is a late-stage tumor, there is “no cure” Explanation: Thirty years ago, when this situation was encountered, it was generally recommended to give up. At present, with the development of medicine, it brings new hope to people. Generally, breast cancer, thyroid cancer and prostate cancer grow slowly, and even if metastasis occurs, they can be better controlled and survive for 3~5 years, or even 20~30 years. Lung cancer and liver cancer progress faster, with an average survival of 6~8 months, occasionally up to 4 years; during this period, fractures or paralysis may occur; osteopathy can be a simple treatment to effectively prevent or treat these dangerous conditions. 8. Chemotherapy is so scary, does Chinese medicine work? Explanation: Chemotherapy (drug therapy) is one of the fastest advancing treatments in Western medicine for oncology. In the past, the average survival period of myeloma without treatment was 1 year. Currently, chemotherapy can extend the survival period up to 4 years, and targeted therapy and bone marrow transplantation are even better. Chemotherapy and hormone therapy are very effective in breast cancer and prostate cancer. Chinese medicine and Chinese herbal medicine also have a role in treating tumors, but unfortunately progress is slow. 400 years ago, Chinese medicine was certainly much better than Western medicine; unfortunately, various reasons have led to the slow progress of Chinese medicine and Chinese herbal medicine. The problem is: 1. Chinese medicine does not differentiate between tumors, unlike Western medicine, which subdivides tumors into many types (50-60 types of spinal tumors alone) and proposes different treatments for different tumors. 2. Chinese medicine is good at secret recipes, and as a result, only a few people know about them, and progress is slow and even lost; while Western medicine emphasizes invention and creation, and doctors are eager to tell others about new methods, and other doctors can help add to them. 3, Chinese medicine propaganda is often “I cured a patient”, Western medicine, Western medicine is often able to provide more objective, comprehensive data – efficiency, percentage of complications. 8. Radiotherapy and surgery are better than chemotherapy Explanation: Radiotherapy and surgery are both local treatment, while chemotherapy is a whole body treatment – the focus is different. Some tumors are suitable for radiotherapy, some tumors are suitable for surgery, and some are suitable for chemotherapy. For some patients, a combination of surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy is needed. There is no best method, only the most suitable one. For more details, please refer to the treatment of various tumors below. Our goal: No best, only better! We hope to treat each patient through the least invasive and most appropriate method. Patients with spinal tumors are taken care of during outpatient visits and hospitalization. 1.Click here to make an appointment for a quick consultation and exclusive face-to-face time 2.For patients considering surgery, you can apply for my telephone consultation to communicate with me, click for details or call for an appointment at 4008-900-120 (Monday to Saturday 09:00-19:00), and the staff will tell you the exact operation. 3.Click here to view my clinic hours