Primary tumors of the ribs – A pictorial essay

Abstract

Primary tumors of the ribs are rare. However, they are often seen due to the high number of bones of the ribs and also the frequency of chest films taken for various conditions. They may be benign or malignant. Tumor like lesions are more in number than primary tumors of the ribs. Chest film is the first one to detect the tumor. Benign tumors include tumors arising from the osseous tissue, cartilaginous tissue, fibrous tissue, vascular tissue and other miscellaneous tumors arising from the other part of tissues. Similarly, primary malignant lesions arise from the tissues as mentioned earlier. Radiologically, there are several signs to identify and diagnose these tumors. Some of the lesions need advanced imaging such as CT, ultrasound, MRI, nuclide scan and PET CT.

Keywords

• bone tumors
• ribs
• conventional radiology
• ct
• mri
• pet ct
• tumoral conditions
• differential diagnosis