New material for reconstruction of the anterior chest wall, including the sternum

The effectiveness of surgical resection for locally recurrent breast cancer invading the chest wall remains poorly defined. If structural stability is required, however, either autogenous tissue or prosthetic material can be used. Various materials for reconstruction of the anterior chest wall have been reported. We report the case of a 38-year-old woman who underwent resection and reconstruction of the anterior chest wall because of metastasis of carcinoma from the left breast to the sternum. We used a new material made from a ceramic prosthesis composed of a combination of hydroxyapatite and tricalcium phosphate. This is a review of a new material and method of reconstruction.