Thoracic Surgery

In the early 1950s, the Department of Thoracic Surgery was founded by Professor Fan Bingzhe and Professor Sun Yanqing, nationally renowned experts in thoracic and cardiovascular surgery, and was one of the earliest departments in China to comprehensively perform thoracic, cardiac, and vascular surgery. In 2005, the Department of Thoracic Surgery became an independent department. For more than 70 years, it has enjoyed a high academic standing and reputation in the field of thoracic surgery in Beijing and throughout China.

The department was the first in China to propose a “one-stop” diagnosis and treatment model for lung cancer and esophageal cancer. In 2007, Professor Wang Tianyou, a renowned expert in thoracic and cardiovascular surgery, founded the Thoracic Surgeons Branch of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association and was re-elected chair for three consecutive terms. In recent years, in the field of enhanced recovery after surgery in thoracic surgery (ERAS), it has led and participated in formulating numerous expert consensuses and has remained at the forefront in China. At present, the Department of Thoracic Surgery is the Esophageal Surgery Department of the National Clinical Research Center for Digestive System Diseases; the lead institution of the Beijing Thoracic Surgery Expert Group of the ERAS Professional Committee of the Chinese Research Hospital Association; the institution of the chair of the Thoracic Surgery Professional Committee of the China Medical Foundation; and the institution of the chair of the Thoracic Surgery Expert Committee of the Beijing Health Promotion Association.

The Department of Thoracic Surgery focuses on the surgical diagnosis, treatment, and clinical research of lung cancer and esophageal cancer. It routinely performs all types of thoracic surgery except lung transplantation, as well as needle biopsy and ablation treatment for pulmonary nodules and lung cancer. The diseases treated include lung cancer, esophageal cancer, cardia cancer, thymoma and other mediastinal tumors, pulmonary bullae and pneumothorax, empyema, esophageal leiomyoma, esophageal diverticulum, esophageal foreign bodies, esophageal perforation, palmar hyperhidrosis, chest wall deformities, thoracic trauma, and others. At present, it has developed distinctive technical expertise in thoracoscopic minimally invasive techniques and their innovative applications, minimally invasive surgery and comprehensive treatment for esophageal cancer, standardized diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary nodules and early screening for lung cancer, and nonvascular interventional diagnosis and treatment of lung diseases.

In pulmonary surgery and thoracoscopic minimally invasive techniques, the department adheres to the concepts of precision and minimally invasive surgery while constantly innovating, and the surgical incisions have gradually become smaller. It now routinely performs lobectomy and segmentectomy using 2-3cm uniportal thoracoscopy, and also performs non-intubated (Tubeless) thoracoscopic surgery and da Vinci robot-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. Since 2024, it has performed thoracoscopic day-case surgery and weekend surgery to provide patients with convenient and comfortable medical services.

Regarding minimally invasive surgery and comprehensive treatment for esophageal cancer, based on the national-level platform of the National Clinical Research Center for Digestive System Diseases and in close cooperation with the Department of Gastroenterology, the department performs combined thoracoscopic and digestive endoscopic diagnosis and treatment, forming a specialized center for the diagnosis and treatment of esophageal diseases. In 2020, it was the first in China to conduct clinical research on neoadjuvant immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and achieved good efficacy, substantially improving postoperative survival. “Preoperative neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy, minimally invasive surgery, postoperative immunotherapy maintenance” has gradually become a new treatment approach for advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. In 2022, it was the first in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region to successfully perform highly difficult esophageal cancer resection after liver transplantation.

Regarding standardized diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary nodules and early screening for lung cancer, in 2016 it was the first in the Beijing area to establish an expert outpatient clinic for “pulmonary nodule disease.” It has accumulated extensive experience in diagnosis, follow-up, and treatment. For many years, it has continued to conduct the public welfare campaign “Love the Lungs on a Journey of Ten Thousand Li,” bringing chest examinations and knowledge of early screening, early diagnosis, and early treatment of lung cancer to primary-level communities. It has established clinical research cohorts in Kulun Banner, Inner Mongolia, and Wuxiang County, Shanxi Province, and conducts long-term follow-up and observational studies.

Regarding nonvascular interventional diagnosis and treatment of lung diseases, the department uses techniques including CT-guided percutaneous needle biopsy, preoperative localization, and ablation therapy to perform precise resection of small pulmonary nodules and hybrid surgery for multiple pulmonary nodules. The annual number of pulmonary nodule ablation procedures is 300, placing it at an advanced level in North China. In recent years, it has conducted clinical research on treating advanced lung cancer with ablation combined with immunotherapy through the “abscopal effect,” significantly prolonging patient survival.

The Department of Thoracic Surgery has now established a pattern of “homogeneous development across multiple hospital campuses,” with 98 beds in total, including 10 postoperative monitoring beds. It has a medical, nursing, and research team of more than 70 members, including 4 chief physicians, 9 deputy chief physicians, 8 attending physicians, 15 personnel with doctoral degrees, and 4 graduate supervisors. The department has a well-structured professional echelon and has formed several renowned expert teams, including those for pulmonary nodules, esophageal tumor diseases, and interventional ablation. It possesses diagnostic and treatment equipment including a da Vinci robotic surgery platform, high-definition and fluorescence thoracoscopes, a video mediastinoscope, electronic bronchoscopes and endobronchial ultrasound bronchoscopes, an electronic gastroscope, ventilators, and pulmonary function and respiratory training devices. The annual outpatient volume exceeds 46,000 visits, and the annual surgical volume exceeds 2,000 procedures; minimally invasive procedures account for more than 90%. The Comprehensive Evaluation Index (CMI) for pulmonary surgery and the volume of esophageal surgery rank among the highest of Beijing municipal hospitals. The Department of Thoracic Surgery has always upheld the hospital motto “benevolence and excellence,” and has gradually developed a departmental culture of “respecting tradition and inheritance, pioneering innovation, taking responsibility, and advancing united.” It strives to provide patients with high-quality, comprehensive, and comfortable medical services.