Nine cases of primary sternal tumour were retrospectively reviewed in regard to clinical, radiologic and surgical features. The tumours were chondrosarcoma (4), chondroma (3), solitary plasmacytoma (1) and osteochondroma (1). All the benign lesions were excised without complication or recurrence. Three chondrosarcomas were radically excised en bloc, and one was only locally excised because of gross involvement of underlying structures. The solitary plasmacytoma was treated with incisional biopsy and radiotherapy. Two of the three patients with radical excision of sternal chondrosarcoma were alive after 5 years. Careful preoperative assessment, including use of computed tomography, is important. Wide excision should be the procedure of choice for all sternal tumours, since differentiation between benign and malignant lesions may be difficult in cartilaginous tumours, which are the commonest types.