Repair of Defect in Thoracic Wall Associated with Neoplasms—Literature Review

The major malignant tumors found on the chest wall are sarcomas, including osteosarcomas, chondrosarcomas, fibrosarcomas, and hemangiosarcomas. Treatment of cancer, as well as chronic chest wall conditions, require radical surgical excision of the involved tissues. In addition to surgery, chemotherapy plays a role as adjuvant treatment in tumors affecting the chest wall, reducing chances of metastasis and prolonging the disease. The restoration of the chest wall has the main objective to restore the respiratory function, for this, a procedure is necessary that keeps the chest closed and stable. There are many materials used for chest repair, such as autogenous, synthetic, homologous and heterologous tissues. The main objective of this literature review is to address the main malignancies that affect the chest wall, as well as the resources most used to repair the damage caused by aggressive surgery in an attempt to promote greater safety margins.