CHEST WALL TUMORS AND SURGICAL APPROACHES

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to retrospectively analyze the clinical characteristics, tumor types, sugical techniques used,and postoperative outcomes of patients who underwent surgery for chest wall tumors. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 154 cases (92 males, 62 females; mean age: 42.39±19.44 years; range, 1-84 years) meeting the study criteria were retrospectively reviewed from a single-center study conducted between 2000 and 2023. The surgical methods were classified as “soft tissue excision (simple excision, including periosteal excision), rib resection, and combined rib+sternum resection”. The need for and types of reconstructive materials were also recorded. RESULTS: The most common presenting complaints were swelling (n=93, 60.3%) and pain (n=84, 54.5%). The most frequent tumor location was right chest wall (n=72, 46.7%). Among the surgical approaches, 37.6% (n=58) were soft tissue excisions, 29.8% (n=46) were rib resections, and 16.8% (n=26) were rib+sternum resections. The majority of cases (n=134, 87%) did not require reconstructive material, but the highest rate of reconstruction was associated with rib+sternum resection (p<0.05). Tumors were of soft tissue origin in 62.3% (n=96) and of bone-cartilage origin in 37.6% (n=58). Benign tumors accounted for 52%, while malignant tumors comprised 48%. The most common benign tumors were lipomas (8.5%), while the most frequent bone-cartilage benign tumors were chondromas (5.7%) and fibrous dysplasias (5.7%). Among malignant tumors, the most frequent soft tissue tumors were mesenchymal tumors (3.8%) and lymphomas (3.8%), while chondrosarcoma (4.5%) was the most common bone-cartilage tumor. No postoperative complications were observed in 95.5% of cases, no additional postoperative treatment was required in 74.4% of cases, and recurrence rate was 16.2%. CONCLUSIONS: The treatment and follow-up of chest wall tumors are critical for both primary and metastatic lesions. Reconstruction techniques and material selection are particularly important in cases requiring extensive resection such as rib+sternum resection.