Surgical treatment is decisive for outcome in chondrosarcoma of the chest wall: A population-based Scandinavian Sarcoma Group study of 106 patients

Abstract

Patients operated with wide surgical margins resulted in fewer local recurrences and better overall survival. Patients with chest wall tumors should be referred to sarcoma centers and not to general thoracic surgery clinics for diagnosis and treatment.

Malignant primary chest-wall tumours: techniques of reconstruction and survival☆

“…However, in our opinion, it is beside the point to consider the survival of PMCWTs as a single group; actually, also in our experience, the 5-year survival ranges very widely from 80% for chondrosarcomas to 21% for osteosarcomas. Chondrosarcoma is the most common PMCWT and the grade of the tumour has been reported as the most important prognostic factor, together with an adequate resection [4,8,9,16] (as also reported by the recent series of the Scandinavian Sarcoma Group), with a 10-year survival of 92% in patients operated with wide margins compared with 47% for those with intralesional resections [21]; the first observation was not confirmed in our series, probably because of the low number of cases. Osteosarcomas are usually high-grade tumours and combined treatment is required; in spite of this, they often metastatise and survival is significantly lower as compared to other subgroups of PMCWTs [8,9].…”

Surgical therapy of primary malignant bone tumours and soft tissue sarcomas of the chest wall: a two-institutional experience

“…In this series compared to others, patients with radiation-induced soft tissue sarcomas had a significantly worse prognosis [2][3][4]. Nevertheless, delayed diagnosis as well as metastases at the time of diagnosis worsens the oncological outcome significantly as observed in the our series [5].…”

“…Further, small tumour size increases the possibility of curative treatment [1]. Sarcomas of the chest wall (soft tissue or bone) with involvement of ribs or sternum, or the overlying soft tissues, are rare entities, with chondrosarcomas as the most frequent ones [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]. Compared to osteosarcomas or Ewing's sarcomas, an effective chemotherapy for chondrosarcomas does not exist.…”

Resected osteochondroma of the rib in an elderly patient

“…Therefore, complete resection with wide surgical margins (>2 cm from the tumor) remains the only viable treatment. 12 In our case, the age of the patient was far older than 40 years, and the rib tumor was solitary and irregularly shaped, with a very thick cartilaginous component. Although she was asymptomatic, these clinical fi ndings were more suggestive of a malignant chondrosarcoma than a benign osteochondroma.…”

“…1,2 In contrast to osteochondromas, primary chondrosarcomas occur not only in the metaphyseal region of the long bones but also frequently in the nonlong bones 11 ; they represent the most frequent malignant tumor of the chest wall. 12 Primary chondrosarcomas usually affect patients >40 years of age. This is especially true in cases of high-grade tumors, where the patients are older than those with low-grade tumors (mean age ± SD 50 ± 17.0 years compared with 40 ± 15.9 years).…”