Resection and debridement of chest-wall tumors and general aspects of reconstruction.

The main criterion for adequate local control of a chest-wall malignancy remains wide excision. With the available techniques of skeletal and soft-tissue reconstruction, even large lesions can be resected with safe margins. The primary purpose is to achieve a curative resection, although a significant number of symptomatic patients can benefit from palliative resection provided by such procedures. A key element in the success in treating chest-wall tumors is a multidisciplinary approach by all participating physicians, namely the thoracic surgeon, the plastic and reconstructive surgeon, the radiotherapist, and the medical oncologist.