In 78 patients a total of 89 chest wall tumours were considered for surgery between 1960 and 1982. There were 63 neoplasms (12 benign, 51 malignant) and 26 pseudotumours (1 chest wall deformity, 6 inflammatory tumours and 19 hydatid cysts of the chest wall). Radical resection of some kind was possible for 67 tumours and 2 patients underwent palliative resection. Exploratory thoracotomy and biopsy were performed in 9 patients and thoracoscopy and biopsy in 10. One hydatid cyst was managed with mebendazole. There were 11 postoperative complications and three hospital deaths. Chest wall prostheses were used in 13 patients. There was no operative mortality. The mean survival time for the patients with malignant tumour was 12.3 months in pleural mesothelioma and in metastatic pleural tumours, 15.2 months in primary rib tumours and 6.4 months in metastatic rib tumours. There was one death in the benign tumour group and one in the pseudotumour group.