DERMATOFIBROSARCOMA PROTUBERANS

Abstract

DARIER and Ferrand¹in 1924 described an unusual progressive and recurring tumor of the skin of fibromatous or fibrosarcomatous character. One year later Hoffmann²reported several similar cases and coined the neologism, "dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans." The neoplasm is rare, but it must have been seen and treated, though unidentified, many years before its recognition as a tumor entity. In earlier years at the Memorial Hospital it was erroneously considered to be a dermal neurosarcoma of low grade malignancy. Our present study is based on a series of 39 such tumors confirmed by histological study and collected during a 20 year period between January 1929 and January 1949 at the Memorial Hospital. Thirty patients have been constantly available for follow-up observations, but nine were lost for subsequent appraisal. An analysis of these nine delinquent patients confirms the accepted opinion of good results following surgical treatment: A 52 year old man