[Resection of chest wall tumors]

Forty-six consecutive patients with chest wall tumors undergoing resection between 1981 and 2012 were analyzed. There were 29 male and 17 female patients, with ages ranging from 15 to 77 years. Seventeen patients had primary malignant neoplasms, 22 had benign tumors, and 7 metastases. The primary malignant tumors were located in the ribs in 16 patients and sternum in one. They were resected en bloc in all patients. Reconstruction was with Gore-Tex( expanded polytetrafluoroethylene:ePTFE) in 13 patients. There was no operative death and 1 hospital death. All patients with benign tumors survived. All patients with metastases died within 3 years. Seven patients with primary malignant neoplasms without reconstruction survived, while 5 of 10 patients undergoing reconstruction died between 5 and 99 months. Aggressive resection for a chest wall tumor with reliable reconstruction can be accomplished safely, and wide resection is a potentially curative treatment.