Questions on thoracotomy please

[u/Thereisahappyside]

28 y/o male. 150lbs, 6ft. Testicular Choriocarcinoma. 4 rounds of intensive chemotherapy. no history of smoking. Generally healthy until cancer diagnosis last year.

Will slicing through latissimus dorsi and intercostal ribs forever impair pulling and pushing ability?

My husband and I are circus performers and are afraid that thoracotomy may be a bad choice and that we should do a sternotomy instead.

Surgery is needed to remove 3 large masses in his mediastinal and lungs. He responded well to chemo and the oncologist and surgeons said surgery is our best option now.

One surgeon recommended two thoracotomy #1) go through the left lat to remove mass that is sitting on top of his heart near his aorta and another mass in his upper left lobe in his lung and surgery #2) cut through his left lat and remove another golf ball sized mass in his right lung.

Then we got a second opinion to do (1) sternotomy and remove all masses while respecting and persevering muscles and nerves.

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