To investigate the diagnosis and treatment of dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans(DFSP) in abdominal wall and to analyze the correlative factors of recurrence.

Fifty-one cases of DFSP in abdominal wall were collected, the treatment and the correlative factors of recurrence subgrouping by the cutting edge and tumor size were analyzed retrospectively.

The defect area was between 4 cm×6 cm to 20 cm×26 cm and patients received stage I repair. The total recurrent rate was 23.1% (9/39) with a regular follow up of 1-30.4 years, and there was one case with lung metastasis after 7 times of recurrence. The recurrence rate in non-radiotherapy group and radiotherapy group was 22.7% (5/22) and 23.5% (4/17) respectively, which showed no statistically significant difference. Comparing to 19.4% (6/31) in the group whose cutting edge was more than 2 cm from the tumor, the recurrence rate in the group less than 2 cm was 37.5%(3/8). There was significant difference between these two groups (χ²=12.49, P﹤0.01). Less recurrence was observed in group with tumor size less than 5 cm(2/12), comparing to the group with tumor size larger than 5 cm (7/27)(χ²=3.91, P﹤0.05).

DFSP in abdominal wall which tends to recur easily needs radically surgical intervention and repairs with skin-grafting or/and flaps. Radiotherapy after surgical resection may not contribute to better prognosis. Local recurrence is correlated to tumor size or/and cutting edge. Repeated recurrence may cause distant metastasis.