CHEST WALL TUMORS AND SURGICAL APPROACHES

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to retrospectively analyze the clinical characteristics, tumor types, sugical techniques used,and postoperative outcomes of patients who underwent surgery for chest wall tumors. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 154 cases (92 males, 62 females; mean age: 42.39±19.44 years; range, 1-84 years) meeting the study criteria were retrospectively reviewed from a single-center study conducted between 2000 and 2023. The surgical methods were classified as “soft tissue excision (simple excision, including periosteal excision), rib resection, and combined rib+sternum resection”. The need for and types of reconstructive materials were also recorded. RESULTS: The most common presenting complaints were swelling (n=93, 60.3%) and pain (n=84, 54.5%). The most frequent tumor location was right chest wall (n=72, 46.7%). Among the surgical approaches, 37.6% (n=58) were soft tissue excisions, 29.8% (n=46) were rib resections, and 16.8% (n=26) were rib+sternum resections. The majority of cases (n=134, 87%) did not require reconstructive material, but the highest rate of reconstruction was associated with rib+sternum resection (p