Chest wall resection and reconstruction for lung cancer: surgical techniques and example of integrated multimodality approach

Surgery is a mainstay in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Involvement of chest wall accounts for approximately 5–10% of operable NSCLC and in such cases extended resection is needed to maximize chances of durable disease control (1). After surgical removal of involved structures, reconstructive procedures are often necessary to maintain or re-establish thoracic cage stability and function, in order to preserve satisfying long-term functional outcome and cosmesis, while dealing satisfactorily with postoperative outcome (2).