title: Rib tumors: a 15-year experience.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A retrospective study of rib tumors was conducted to review their clinical, radiological, and pathological features, the difficulties in differentiating benign from malignant tumors, as well as the early and long-term results of surgical management.
  
  
  METHODS
  All patients with rib lesions evaluated by the Thoracic Surgery Department from 1998 to 2012 were studied. The patient's age, sex, symptoms, radiologic evaluation, surgical procedure, pathologic diagnosis and follow-up were assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ninety-one patients (81 male, 10 female, age range 16-80) with rib tumors underwent surgery in a period of 15 years (1998-2012). 64 patients (70.33 %) had benign lesions and 27 patients (29.67 %) had malignant tumors. In the group with malignant tumors, the main symptom was pain, and in the group with benign tumors the main symptom was swelling. Ten patients with benign rib tumor and two with malignant tumor were detected during routine chest radiograph. All patients were treated surgically with wide excision of the tumor and the diagnosis was established histologically. In the benign cohort, osteochondromas, fibrous dysplasia, enchondroma, eosinophilic granuloma and posttraumatic fibro-osseous lesion/dysplasia were among the most customary diagnoses. In the malignant cohort, 13 patients (48.15 %) had metastatic lesions, with the remaining 14 patients having primary malignant rib tumor.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although radiographic imaging has evolved, all rib lesions must be considered as potentially malignant until proven otherwise. Prompt intervention is necessary and surgery must consist of wide resection with tumor-free margins to provide the best chance for cure in both benign and malignant lesions.
authors.affiliation: Thoracic Surgery Department, 401 General Army Hospital, Athens, Greece, sakellaridis_t@yahoo.gr.
authors.forename: Timothy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sakellaridis
authors.forename: Stylianos
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gaitanakis
authors.forename: Anastasios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Piyis
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009372:Neoplasms, Connective Tissue / Q000175:diagnosis; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012272:Ribs / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D055815:Young Adult