From May 1965 to December 1990, 78 patients with chest wall tumors were operated on. The mean age of the patients was 31.5 years with 50 male and 28 female patients. Forty-nine cases(62.8%) were developed at bony or cartilaginous wall and 29 casess(37.2%) at soft tissue of chest wall. Thirty-two of them(41.0%) were malignant, either primary or metastatic, and 46 tumors(59.0%) were histologically benign. For 55 patients who were operated on since 1982, 6 surgical biopsies. 39 tumor excisions, and 11 wide excisions with chest wall reconstruction were done.
Preoperative factors favoring diagnosis of malignant neoplasm were : 1) old-aged male patinet, 2) bone or cartilaginous tumors, 3) involvement of multiple ribs, 4) complaint of pain, 5) large size on palpation (larger than 4cm). With proper diagnosis and management plan, we think, operations of chest wall tumors can give good results.
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