DARIER and Ferrand1 in 1924 described an unusual progressive and recurring tumor of the skin of fibromatous or fibrosarcomatous character. One year later Hoffmann2 reported 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