Disease-Specific Mortality of Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans After Mohs Surgery Versus Wide Local Excision: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Background: Although advances have been made in the understanding of recurrence patterns in dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans, the current understanding of disease-specific mortality after surgical management is limited.

Objective: To understand disease-specific mortality rates associated with dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans treated with wide local excision (WLE) versus Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS).

Materials and methods: A systematic literature search was conducted on March 6, 2023, to identify patients treated with MMS or WLE for dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans.

Results: A total of 136 studies met inclusion criteria. Overall, the disease-specific mortality rate was not significantly different after treatment with MMS (0.7%, confidence interval [CI] 0.1-1.2, p : 0.016) versus WLE (0.9%, CI 0.6-1.2, p < .001). For recurrent tumors, the MMS treatment group had a statistically significantly lower disease-specific mortality rate (1.0%, CI 0.0-2.0, p 0.046) compared with the WLE treatment group (3.5%, CI 2.0-5.1, p < .001). The mean follow-up for all studies was 57.6 months.

Conclusion and relevance: The authors' meta-analysis suggests there is no substantial difference in disease-specific mortality between MMS and WLE in patients with dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans, except in the case of recurrent tumors, where MMS seems to confer a survival advantage.