Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans – the impact of radiation therapy: a single institution series

BackgroundDermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) is a locally aggressive intermediate malignancy.ObjectiveThe purpose of this retrospective analysis is to determine the efficacy of radiation therapy (RT) in local control of DFSP.Patients and methodsThe recurrence-free survival (RFS) for 45 patients treated for DFSP at our institution was estimated and compared between surgery alone and postoperative RT groups.ResultsAge range of the patients were in the third and fourth decades; males:females=2:1; most common site: anterior abdominal wall; tumours >5 cm in size in 75%; low grade in 77·8%; margins positive in 31·8% and 50 Gy in 88% of patients. The patients treated with postoperative RT had poorer prognostic factors compared with surgery alone: they were males (17 versus 13 patients), and presented with high-grade tumours (5 versus 1 patients), multiple recurrences prior to presentation (25 versus 20 patients) and positive or