A Full Thickness Chest Wall Resection for Locoregional Recurrent Breast Carcinoma

A full thickness chest wall resection was performed for two cases of locoregional recurrent breast carcinoma. Chest wall defects were reconstructed with a muscle flap utilizing the pectoralis major muscle in one case, and with the vertical musculocutaneous flap using a contralateral rectus abdominis muscle in the other case. Postoperative complications such as flail chest or wound infection did not occur in either case. The postoperative course of the two patients was uneventful. The quality of life appeared to be improved.Full thickness chest wall resection with immediate reconstruction using a musculocutaneous flap is effective for localized chest wall recurrent breast carcinoma, along with multidisplinary treatment such as radiation, chemotherapy and endocrine therapy.