Chondrosarcomas of the chest wall: a report of 17 cases.

<bold>Introduction:</bold> Malignant bone tumors of the chest wall are rare. They account for 4.5% to 8% of all bone tumors. Chondrosarcoma represents 40% of all malignant tumors of the ribs. It is a malignant tumor with cartilaginous differentiation and a high potential for local invasion and recurrence after treatment. Diagnosis is suspected based on imaging findings, but confirmation always requires histological examination. <bold>Patients and Methods:</bold> We report a retrospective study of cases of chondrosarcoma of the chest wall operated on in the thoracic surgery department of Mami hospital in Ariana, Tunisia between January 2001 and December 2021. <bold>Results:</bold> There were 17 cases, including 11 women and 6 men, with a sex ratio of 0.54. The mean age was 37 years with extremes ranging from 17 to 71 years. The tumor was located on the right side in 9 cases, on the left side in 7 cases, and on the sternum in 1 case. In 9 cases, the tumor was limited to a single rib. Pain was the presenting symptom in 16 cases, with a palpable chest wall mass in one patient. The average tumor size was 8 cm. The surgical procedure was a rib resection in 15 cases and biopsy in 2 cases. The postoperative course was uneventful for 16 patients. One patient, who had an associated laminectomy, developed a cerebrospinal fluid leak and tumor recurrence. This patient required three rib resections. <bold>Conclusions:</bold> Chondrosarcomas are rare tumors with frequent metastases and recurrences. Treatment is primarily based on surgery, which can be curative only for tumors with limited extension and diagnosed at an early stage.