A 61-year-old male presents with a painful mass 3.5 cm in diameter below the clavicle and attached to the chest wall. The following is/are true:

c. The chances are approximately 40% that the lesion is metastatic

Chest wall tumors are uncommon, accounting for only 1–2% of all body tumors. About 57% of chest wall tumors are primary, whereas 43% are metastatic. Solitary metastases most frequently arise from the thyroid gland, the GU tract and the colon. Overall, about 60% of chest wall tumors are malignant, most arising form bone or cartilage. The CT scan is of value in demonstrating the relationship between the mass and contiguous structures, but of little value in determining bone destruction because of the oblique course of the ribs. Specific rib films are most helpful. Now that multimodality therapy is available, core needle biopsies are recommended and have not increased the incidence of local recurrence.