lung and airway disorders
Chest Wall Tumors
Introduction
Chest wall tumors, which may be cancerous or noncancerous, are tumors of the rib cage and its muscles, connective tissues, and nerves, that can interfere with lung function. (See also Overview of Lung Tumors .) Tumors of the chest wall may develop in the chest wall (called a primary tumor) or spread (metastasize) to the chest wall from a cancer located elsewhere in the body. Almost half of chest wall tumors are noncancerous (benign). Themost common noncancerouschest wall tumors are osteochondroma, chondroma, and fibrous dysplasia. A wide range ofcancerous(malignant) chest wall tumors exist. Over half are cancers that have spread to the chest wall from distant organs or by direct spread from nearby structures, such as a breast or a lung. The most common cancerous tumors arising from the chest wall are sarcomas. Chondrosarcomas are the most common primary chest wall sarcoma and arise from cartilage of the anterior tract of ribs and less commonly of the sternum, scapula, or clavicle. Bone tumors include osteosarcoma and small-cell malignant tumors (such as Ewing sarcoma or Askin tumor). The most common soft-tissue primary cancerous tumors are fibrosarcomas (desmoids and neurofibrosarcomas) and malignant fibrous histiocytomas. Other primary tumors include chondroblastomas, osteoblastomas, melanomas, lymphomas, rhabdomyosarcomas, lymphangiosarcomas, multiple myeloma, and plasmacytomas. 