Sternal resection and chest wall reconstruction for primitive neuroectodermal tumor of the sternum

Primitive neuroectodermal tumor of the sternum is rare. A 59-year-old woman referred to our department with anterior chest pain and a tumor in the sternum. The patient was diagnosed as primitive neuroectodermal tumor of the sternum by core biopsy of the lesion. She received 2 cycles of preoperative chemotherapy with vincristine, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide, etoposide. She underwent a total sternectomy with resection of adjacent bilateral costal cartilages and sternal ends of the clavicles. The skeletal defect of chest wall was reconstructed by polypropylene mesh-resin sandwich. The myocutaneus defect was reconstructed by the pedicled latissimus dorsi myocutaneus flap and the bilateral breast flaps. The postoperative course was uneventful and adjuvant radiotherapy was started 6 weeks after the operation. She died of distant metastases 3 months after the operation, although this patient was free from local recurrence.