Adjuvant radiotherapy for dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans: a case report

Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) is a rare and slowly growing tumor. Inadequate surgical resection is associated with a high recurrence rate. However, complete resection with wide margins in some cases may cause cosmetic or functional deficits. Previous studies suggest that adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) can effectively decrease the local recurrence rate. We report the case of a tumor in the right shoulder of a 25-year-old woman, in which the tumor was located adjacent to the skin and joint. She underwent wide excision of this tumor, and the pathologic findings of this tumor showed DFSP with close margins. She was subsequently administered intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) of 46 Gy with 2 Gy per fraction for the tumor bed and wide margins followed by 14 Gy with 2 Gy per fraction for the tumor bed boost. She remained disease-free during the 3-year follow-up. This finding indicates that adjuvant RT is considered for patients with DFSP who have close margins or in whom wide surgical margins are not feasible.