[Medical Q&A] Is femoral head necrosis an “immortal cancer”?

Planner: Chinese Medical Association

Reviewer: Wang Jian, Chief Physician, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University

It is too exaggerated and inappropriate to describe femoral head necrosis as "immortal cancer", which will only bring a heavy psychological burden to patients. In clinical practice, we often see two types of patients: one type is anxious and even "white hair overnight" when they hear that they are diagnosed with femoral head necrosis; the other type is relieved and reborn when they hear that they are not suffering from femoral head necrosis. Why do people "change color" when talking about femoral head necrosis? Because some people believe that once femoral head necrosis occurs, it is difficult to reverse the progression of the disease by using drug treatment and other methods. Most patients will experience femoral head collapse and become disabled, thus requiring surgical treatment.

Nowadays, although femoral head necrosis is still incurable, most patients can work and live like normal people after proper treatment. Therefore, patients with femoral head necrosis must go to regular medical institutions for treatment, so that they can receive professional diagnosis and staging, and receive standardized treatment. They should not listen to unproven folk prescriptions or secret recipes, and should not rush to seek medical treatment.