Chest wall reconstruction following resection of large primary malignant tumors.

Reconstructive procedures following radical resection of large primary malignant chest wall tumors (PMCWT) continue to evolve. Between 1982 and 1993, 32 consecutive patients (18 males/14 females) with a median age of 47 years (range, 12 - 77) underwent radical resection for large (median 10 ± 5.4 cm) PMCWTs arising either from the bone (n = 15) or soft tissues (n = 17) of the chest wall. Nine (28 %) had previous surgical resection before referral. Sixteen (50 %) required extensive skin excision. Twelve sternectomies (5 total and 7 partial) and 20 lateral chest wall resections were performed. In this latter group, 16 patients (80 %) had at least three ribs resected