Chest Wall Tumors Flashcards
Primary malignant chest wall tumors
- Chondrosarcomas (35%)
- Plasmacytoma (25%)
- Ewing’s sarcoma (15%)
- Osteosarcoma (15%)
- Lymphoma (10%)
Tumors that metastasize to chest wall
- Melanoma
- Breast carcinoma
- Lung carcinoma
- Mesothelioma
- Renal cell carcinoma
Benign tumors of the chest wall
- Fibrous dysplasia (40%)
- Chondoroma (30%)
- Osteochondroma
- Desmoids
- Lipoma
- Neurofibroma
- Giant cell tumor
*Characterized by slow growth
Most common presentation of chest wall tumors
Painful, enlarging lesions (80%)
20% assymptomatic
*May also present with dyspnea, night sweats, fevers, generalized malaise
Imaging modalities used for diagnosis (and staging)
- Diagnosis: chest CT or MRI
- Staging: PET/CT
Diagnostic algorithm for chest wall tumors
- Imaging/Staging:
- Chest CT or MRI
- PET/CT
- Tissue diagnosis:
- determine histopathology
- determine candidate for neoadjuvant therapy
- Options:
- core needle biopsy
- incisional biopsy
- excisional biopsy (< 5cm)
Most common primary malignant chest wall tumor
Chrondrosarcoma
Most common location of chrondrosarcoma
Costochondral arches (80%)
Costochondral junction (sternum 20%)
CXR appearance of chrondrosarcoma
lobulated mass (medullary portion of the rib or sternum)
Treatment for chondrosarcoma
Treatment therefore should be wide local excision with wide margins for malignant lesions. Adjuvant therapy is rarely indicated because these tumors are resistant to chemotherapy and RT.
Prevalence of plasmacytoma
(a.k.a solitary plasma cell tumor myeloma)
Accounts for 20-30% of primary malignant chest wall tumors
Most common location of plasmacytoma
Ribs and sternum
Primary malignant chest wall tumor associated with progression to multiple myeloma
Plasmacytoma
Presentation of plasmacytoma
Painful mass with osteolytic CXR appearance
TOC for plasmacytoma
Treatment id definitive XRT
- Surgical resection (wide resection) for refractory cases
- Chemotherapy used for disease progression
Most common chest wall malignancy in children
Ewing’s sarcoma
- Aggressive, destructive tumors that invade and displace adjacent structures
Cell of origin of Ewing’s sarcoma
neural crest cells
Most common presentation of Ewing’s sarcoma
Painful mass with fever and malaise
- May have elevated WBC and ESR
CXR appearance of Ewing’s sarcoma
Lytic lesion with surrounding destruction and onion peel appearance (new bone formation)
Treatment of choice for Ewing’s sarcoma?
Treatment is wide excision of the lesion. The entire rib is removed along with the adjacent rib above and below the tumor.
This is followed by adjuvant RT.
Chemotherapy is used for patients with systemic disease and has been shown to improve survival.
Most common location of osteosarcoma
Ribs, scapula, clavicle (young adults)
Unique featurs of osteosarcoma of the chest wall compared to osteosarcoma of the extremity
More prone to recurrence and metastasis
MC presentation of osteosarcoma
Painful mass with elevated ALP
CXR appearance of osteosarcoma
Sunburst pattern with elevation of periosteum (Codman’s triangle) due to new bone formation
Prognosis for osteosarcoma determined by
response to chemotherapy
Role of XRT for osteosarcoma
None to minimal (usually ineffective)
Codman’s triangle
Osteosarcoma
Elevation of periosteum due to new bone formation
MC type of chest wall lymphoma
Extranodal diffuse large B-cell lymphoma