An incidental finding in a young woman (2006: 2b)

Excerpt

Primary chondrosarcoma of the chest wall, although uncommon, is the most frequent type accounting for 4.5–8% of all bone tumours in this location [1, 2]. This tumour, arising from the sternum, is indeed uncommon. Fong et al. reported a series of 24 chest wall chondrosarcomas. Of these, only three involved the sternum. Although the majority of cases present with a palpable mass and pain, sometimes there are no symptoms or signs at presentation and an early diagnosis with a clear margin resection could be missed, with a significantly worse prognosis, according to Fong et al. [3]. We would like to report the case of a patient who was admitted for characterisation of a sternal mass, incidentally discovered in attendance at our emergency department, defining its chest radiography, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) findings. …