[Oncoplastic surgery for thoracic wall tumours].
BACKGROUND
Surgical treatment of tumours of the chest wall (primary or metastatic) requires special skills by the thoracic and the plastic surgeons, from the functional as well as the aesthetic perspective (oncoplastic surgery), when the treatment requires surgical reconstruction.


METHODS
We present a series of 14 patients who needed extensive resection of the thoracic wall (external and/or 3 or more ribs) with disease-free margins and reconstruction with prostheses (7 with polytetrafluoroethylene [PTFE(R)] and 7 with the Sandwich Marlex-Methyl Metacrylate) technique with additional covering with muscle-skin flaps (6 pectoral, 5 recto-anterior, 3 dorsal) pedicled during the same surgical intervention.


RESULTS
The aetiology of the extirpated tumours, following pathology assessment, were: 4 chondrosarcoma, 3 metastatic sternum, 2 breast cancer relapse, 1 desmoid tumour, 1 neurofibrosarcoma, 1 rhabdomiosarcoma, 1 malignant schwannoma and 1 radiation induced sarcoma. One patient died from complications and another 4 from disease progression before the conclusion of the study follow-up (3-22 months).


CONCLUSIONS
Extensive resection of tumours of the chest wall with reconstruction using prostheses and muscle-skin flaps is a safe method that can be performed in the same surgical intervention period when combining the skills of the thoracic surgeon with that of the plastic surgeon.
Galbis Caravajal
José M
JM
Servicio de Cirugía Torácica, Hospital de La Ribera, Alzira, 46018 Valencia, Spain. jgalbis@hospital-ribera.com
Sales Badía
Gabriel
G
Fuster Diana
Carlos A
CA
Mallent Añón
José
J
Pallardó Calatayud
Yolanda
Y
Rodríguez Paniagua
José M
JM
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013899:Thoracic Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D019616:Thoracic Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods; D035441:Thoracic Wall