Current Thoracic Surgery

Chest wall hamartoma is a rare pathology in adults, usually presenting at birth or in early infancy. They may present with compression symptoms depending on their localization. Although it is rare to be recognized with late-onset symptoms in adults, it requires differential diagnosis with other malignant and benign tumors of the chest wall. Histologically, carcinoid tumors are classified into two subgroups as typical and atypical. Atypical carcinoids have an aggressive course and have the potential for metastasis and recurrence. Typical carcinoids are low grade malignancies. Although the prognosis of carcinoid tumors after surgical resection is reported to be good, a variable prognosis has been reported. The size of the tumor, histological type, nodal involvement, and distant metastasis are thought to affect the prognosis. Herein we present an elderly patient with chest wall hamartoma and typical carcinoid, in the light of literature.