The Role Of Postoperative Radiotherapy In The Treatment Of Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans

Objective: To evaluate the effect of postoperative radiotherapy (RT) for patients with dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP).Methods and Materials: 19 patients were separated into 2 groups, patients in Surgery Group (10 patients) were treated with surgery only and patients in Surgery + RT Group (9 patients) were treated with surgery and postoperative RT. No patient had gross disease at the time of RT. All patients were followed up for 5 to 72 months after treatment. When the clinical study finished, relapse rates were compared between the two groups by Fisher's Exact Test (SPSS, Ver 11.5).Results: For the Surgery Group ( we lost contact with 1 patient after surgery), 3 patients were found with local recurrence and 1 was found with suspected lymphatic metastasis; while for the Surgery + RT Group, no patient was found with recurrence or metastasis. The comparison showed significant difference between the two groups (p<0.05).Conclusion: Postoperative RT may reduce the risk of local recurrence in patients with DFSP who have a high risk of residual disease after surgery.