2009 Volume 23 Issue 6 Pages 788-791
The subjects of this study were 10 cases with chondrosarcoma of the chest wall surgically treated by resection in our hospital between 2000 and 2008. The primary site was the rib in 8 and sternum in 2 cases. In cases of rib origin, while 3 were confined to the primary site, invasions to the vertebral body or diaphragma were encountered in 4 and 1, respectively. Chest wall reconstruction was carried out in 9 cases. The surgical margins were wide in 7 and marginal in 3 cases. Fatal postoperative complication was experienced in one case. Three of 10 patients experienced recurrence within 3 years, of these, one showed local recurrence, and two showed multiple lung metastases. All these were cases receiving marginal resection. The three year disease-free survival rate was 66.7% for all patients. Early detection and early surgical treatment to ensure a sufficient margin on surgery are essential for complete resection. In addition, not only wide resection but also postoperative adjuvant chemo (+radio) therapy is likely to be important to improve survival in cases showing a high-grade malignant pathology.
