Primary spinal tumors are relatively rare. Because of its anatomical complexity, adjacency to the spinal nerves, great vessels and vital organs and high degree of difficulty and risk of surgical resection, the therapeutic effects of primary spinal tumors are unsatisfactory. Currently, surgical resection is still the most basic and important clinical treatment method for primary spinal tumors. The musculoskeletal tumor staging system developed by Enneking et al. has been generally accepted in the surgical treatment of musculoskeletal tumors. According to this staging system, the resection approach and extension are determined by the biological behavior of tumors. In 1997, the Weinstein-Boriani-Biagini ( WBB ) staging system was published. After that, a relatively uniform standard was proposed in the international academic exchange and comparison related to spinal tumors, which was designed to take the overall resection into account with the spinal cord reserved. According to the Enneking and WBB staging systems, total vertebral resection should be performed in the treatment of primary malignant tumors of the spine and some invasive benign tumors, so as to achieve the aim of removing the tumors within the compartment. The posterior total en bloc spondylectomy ( TES ) technique developed by Tomita et al. for thoracolumbar spinal tumors is the most important means of acquiring reasonable surgical margins, with the advantages of short operation time, less blood loss, minimal surgical trauma, low complication rate and so on. However, the TES technique can only control the recurrence of tumors. If abused, there will be more trauma and complications. Therefore, the operation indications should be strictly mastered in accordance with the treatment concept of spinal tumors. The personalized and accurate design and implementation of resection margins of spinal tumors and the optimization and application of adjuvant therapy will be the subjects needing joint efforts in the field of spinal tumors in the future.