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Chest Wall Tumours
Overview
The chest wall is composed of all ribs, sternum and spine surrounding and protecting the heart and lungs. A vast proportion of tumours arising in the chest wall are malignant. If you are complaining of a painful lump on your chest wall and it is growing, our specialists will recommend urgent imaging of your chest to figure out what is causing the lump, how big it is and what are the structures/organs involved.
Diagnosis of Chest Wall Tumours
Generally, a biopsy of the lump is performed either by a radiologist, using a needle and ultrasound or CT-guidance, or by the surgeon in theatre (under general anaesthetic).
Treatment of Chest Wall Tumours
Once the diagnosis has been established by biopsy, a therapeutic plan can be made. Radical surgery consisting in complete removal of the tumour with adequate margins is usually recommended. The chest wall defect is usually reconstructed with artificial materials (PTFE, Polypropilene, metallic bars) and sometimes, muscles are used to cover the defect and cover over the artificial materials.
Radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy may have to be administered following surgery depending upon the tumour type, size and aggressiveness. Tumours arising from the bone marrow are more often treated by chemotherapy or radiotherapy and surgery is usually not required.