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Laurence Rhines, MD

Neurosurgeon
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, TX, US

Laurence D. Rhines Biography
Laurence D. Rhines, M.D., is Professor of Neurosurgery and Director of the Spine Program at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, one of the largest and busiest cancer hospitals in the world. He is also an Adjunct Professor of Neurosurgery at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. Dr. Rhines received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts. He completed a residency in neurological surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital, and a fellowship in spinal oncology at M.D. Anderson. He is board certified in neurosurgery and has been in practice for twenty years.
As Director of the Spine Program at M.D. Anderson, Dr. Rhines leads a multidisciplinary center, including colleagues in radiation oncology, medical oncology, radiology, pain management and rehabilitation, dedicated to advancing the care of patients with spinal tumors. State-of-the-art multimodality treatment, technical innovation, patient education, and clinical research are the four pillars of the Spine Program. Dr. Rhines’ primary interests include optimizing decision making in the treatment of patients with primary and metastatic tumors of the spine, developing novel techniques for en bloc surgical resection, and expanding the role of spinal stereotactic radiosurgery in the management of spinal neoplasms. His research focuses on patient outcomes following surgery and radiation for spine tumors, as well as elucidating the molecular tumor markers that predict prognosis and response to therapy. Dr. Rhines has published more than 150 peer-reviewed articles and numerous book chapters. He is frequently requested as a national and international lecturer on spine tumors. He serves on the Executive Committee of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons/Congress of Neurological Surgeons Joint Section on Tumors. He is also Chairman of the Steering Committee of the AOSpine Knowledge Forum Tumor.

Disclosure(s): Icotec AG (Altstätten, Switzerland): Consultant (Ongoing); Stryker: Consultant (Ongoing)

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