title: Outcome of wide local excision in dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans and use of radiotherapy for margin-positive disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Wide local excision (WLE) is the preferred treatment of dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP). The aim is to achieve negtive margins. We followed the impact of radiotherapy used postoperatively for both margin-negative and margin-positive DFSP tumors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Outcome of treatment of 36 patients of DFSP treated at our hospital was assessed. Thirty patients received radiotherapy postoperatively and six patients received radiotherapy alone. The maximum dimension of the lesion was 15 cm(2). Patients were followed up for varying periods of time for any recurrence.
  
  
  RESULTS
  10-year actuarial local control rate was determined. Local control was realized in six patients who were treated with radiotherapy alone. 30 patients were treated by radiotherapy and surgery. Out of these 30 patients, there were 6 local failures (failure rate 10%). Actuarial control rate was 82%. The failures were among patients who had positive margins.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Radiotherapy is effective, and it decreases the recurrence rate in the treatment of DFSP. It is especially helpful in margin-positive disease. This appears true for patients treated with radiotherapy alone or radiotherapy used postoperatively.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, SKIMS, Soura, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
authors.forename: Raashid
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hamid
authors.forename: Adil
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hafeez
authors.forename: Mohd A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Darzi
authors.forename: Inaam
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Zaroo
authors.forename: Altaf
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rasool
authors.forename: Haroon
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rashid
keywords: Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans; local recurrence; radiotherapy; wide local excision