OBJECTIVETo analyze treatment and prognostic factors of 74 patients with dermatofibro-sarcoma protuberans (DFSP).

METHODSFrom August 1990 to November 1999, 74 patients with DFSP confirmed pathologically were treated. There were 52 males and 22 females with a median age of 37 years (range 4 to 80 years) on diagnosis. Seventeen patients were treated by extensive excision and 2 by limited excision. Fifty-two patients had surgical resection alone (S), and 22 postoperative radiotherapy (S + R) of 50-70 Gy. The multivariate parameters were analyzed using Cox model. Kaplan-Meier and Log-Rank test were used to evaluate the results of the recurrence-free survival.

RESULTSThe rate of recurrence was 28.4% for all patients. The 5-year recurrence-free survival rate (RFSR) was 66.6% and the 10-year RFSR was 52.5%. The 5-year and 10-year in the S group were 58.4% and 41.2%, compared with 90.0% and 83.3% in the S + R group (P < 0.05). The 5-year and 10-year RFSR in the pathologically positive margin group were 57.5% and 41.4% respectively, compared with the 75.0% and 56.6% in the pathologically negative group (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis suggested radiotherapy and negative pathological margins were favorable prognostic factors.

CONCLUSIONPost-operation radiotherapy and pathological margin are the independent prognostic factors.