Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans

Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans is an uncommon soft tissue tumor of intermediate- to low-grade malignancy that arises in the dermis and spreads into the subcutaneous tissues and muscle. Metastases are rare.

The tumor tends to affect patients in the second and the fifth decades of life and has a predilection for the trunk, followed by the extremities and head and neck.

Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans is a slowly growing tumor with an excellent prognosis after complete resection. Local recurrence, however, is relatively common with incomplete surgical resection.

MRI usually reveals a multilobuilar, well-defined, and superficial mass that is hypointense on T1-weighted images and iso- to slightly hyperintense on T2-weighted images. Areas of high signal on T1-weighted images representing hemorrhage can also be seen.

Atypical imaging findings include a deep location, deep extension of a large soft tissue mass, and ill-defined margins.

References

• Lee SJ, Mahoney MC, Shaughnessy E. Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans of the breast: imaging features and review of the literature. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2009 Jul;193(1):W64-9.
• Torreggiani WC, Al-Ismail K, Munk PL, Nicolaou S, O'Connell JX, Knowling MA. Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans: MR imaging features. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2002 Apr;178(4):989-93.