Chest wall tumors in infancy and childhood

The chest wall is an infrequent site of malignancy in infancy and childhood. Management of these tumors, however, is of particular concern because of their aggressive behavior and the functional impairment which may result from local treatment. From 1976 to 1987 we have treated seventeen infants and children with tumors of the chest wall. Askin's tumors and Ewing's sarcoma were considered as a single entity, malignant small round cell tumor (MSRCT), and account for the majority (11 of the 17 patients). Other tumors represented were infantile fibrosarcoma (1), undifferentiated spindle cell sarcomas (2), osteogenic sarcoma (1), large cell lymphoma (1), and synovial sarcoma (1). Nine of 17 patients have survived (median follow-up of survivors 5 years); six patients died of disease and two from complications of therapy. All four patients with MSRCT and metastasis at diagnosis died of disease despite chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Four of the seven patients with localized MSRCT, who received combined modality therapy including resection (two after initial chemotherapy), radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, were continuously disease-free 16 months to 10 years following diagnosis. One of the three patients who failed died of complications of surgery to her extensive primary. A second patient had a relapse of disease in a hilar node four years after finishing vincristine, actinomycin, and cytoxan (VAC) chemotherapy; she was retreated with Adriamycin (doxorubicin, Adria Laboratories, Columbus, Ohio), vincristine, and cyclophosphamide as well as radiotherapy to her hilum and remains in second remission 56 months following her recurrence. The third patient suffered a distant relapse in bone and, before succumbing to his MSRCT, developed acute monocytic leukemia and died during a remission induction attempt. Mixed results were obtained for the patients with other tumor types.