Primary tumors of the ribs; experience with 78 patients.

A retrospective study of primary tumors of the ribs (PTR) was conducted to review their clinical, radiological, and pathological features, as well as the early and long-term results of surgical management. Seventy-eight patients (48 male, 30 female, age range: 7-80 years) with PTR were treated in our clinic between January 1998 and July 2008. Forty-nine (63%) of the patients had benign lesions and 29 (37%) had malignant lesions. In the group with malignant tumors, the main symptom was pain, but in the group with benign tumors, the main symptom was swelling. Eight cases in the benign group and four cases in the malignant group were asymptomatic (accidental radiological findings in recruitment centers). Most of the patients with PTR had benign lesions. All PTR should be considered as malignant until proven otherwise. Surgery must consist of wide resection with tumor-free margins in order to provide the best chance for cure in both benign and malignant lesions.