Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans

disease
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Also known as dermatofibrosarcomaDFSPfamilial dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (subtype)metastatic dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (subtype)

Summary

Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (MONDO:0011934) is a disease with 3 cohort genes and 12 clinical trials. Molecularly, COL1A1::PDGFB Fusion confers sensitivity to Imatinib in Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans (CIViC Level A); 6 further subtype–drug associations are mapped below. Top therapeutic interventions include ifosfamide, imatinib, and vismodegib.

At a glance

  • Prevalence: 1-5 / 10 000 (Europe) [Orphanet-validated]
  • Cohort genes: 3
  • ClinVar variants: 4
  • Phenotypes (HPO): 8
  • Clinical trials: 12
  • Precision-medicine evidence (CIViC): 7 subtype–drug associations

Clinical features

Epidemiology

Prevalence records

1 prevalence record(s), Orphanet:

TypeClassValueGeographyValidation
Point prevalence1-5 / 10 00010EuropeValidated

Signs & symptoms

Clinical features (HPO)

8 HPO clinical features (Orphanet curated; top 8 by frequency):

HPO IDTermFrequency
HP:0001072Thickened skinVery frequent (80-99%)
HP:0001482Subcutaneous noduleVery frequent (80-99%)
HP:0008069Neoplasm of the skinVery frequent (80-99%)
HP:0010783ErythemaVery frequent (80-99%)
HP:0100244FibrosarcomaVery frequent (80-99%)
HP:0200042Skin ulcerFrequent (30-79%)
HP:0012531PainOccasional (5-29%)
HP:0002716LymphadenopathyVery rare (<1-4%)

Identifiers

Disease identifiers

FieldValue
Canonical namedermatofibrosarcoma protuberans
Mondo IDMONDO:0011934
MeSHD018223
OMIM607907
Orphanet31112
DOIDDOID:3507
ICD-111579898301
NCITC4683
SNOMED CT276799004
UMLSC3693482
MedGen811326
GARD0009569
MedDRA10057070
Is cancer (heuristic)no

Also known as: dermatofibrosarcoma · dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans · DFSP · familial dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (subtype) · metastatic dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (subtype)

Data availability: 4 ClinVar variants · 10 cell lines.

Disease family

An umbrella term covering 1 Mondo subtype.

Classification path: disease › human disease › disease by body system or component › integumentary system disorder › integumentary system cancer › dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans

Related subtypes (6): bartholin gland carcinoma, skin cancer, nipple carcinoma, breast adenocarcinoma, atypical lobular breast hyperplasia, breast diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

Subtypes (1): pigmented dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans

Genetics & variants

GWAS landscape

No GWAS associations recorded — common-variant (GWAS) studies don’t cover this disease (typical for Mendelian / rare diseases). See the curated gene cohort and Mendelian overlap below.

Variant details and genetic-evidence tiers

ClinVar germline variants

4 retrieved; paginated sample, class counts are floors:

2 benign/likely benign, 1 pathogenic, 1 benign

ClinVarVariant (HGVS)GeneClassificationReview
12599PDGFB, PDGFB/COL1A1 FUSIONPDGFBPathogenicno assertion criteria provided
522278NM_002608.4(PDGFB):c.670C>T (p.Arg224Trp)PDGFBBenign/Likely benigncriteria provided, multiple submitters, no conflicts
522279NM_002608.4(PDGFB):c.635C>T (p.Thr212Met)PDGFBBenign/Likely benigncriteria provided, multiple submitters, no conflicts
522280NM_002608.4(PDGFB):c.160+15C>APDGFBBenigncriteria provided, multiple submitters, no conflicts

Genes & proteins

Mendelian disease overlap and somatic drivers

GenCC: 0 · Orphanet: 19 · OMIM-shared: 0 · Dual-evidence (GWAS+Mendelian): 0

Orphanet rare-disease linkage (cohort genes)

GeneOrphanet IDRare disease
CDKN2AOrphanet:1333Familial pancreatic carcinoma
CDKN2AOrphanet:1501Adrenocortical carcinoma
CDKN2AOrphanet:252206Melanoma and neural system tumor syndrome
CDKN2AOrphanet:404560Familial atypical multiple mole melanoma syndrome
CDKN2AOrphanet:524Li-Fraumeni syndrome
CDKN2AOrphanet:585909B-lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma with t(9;22)(q34.1;q11.2)
CDKN2AOrphanet:618Familial melanoma
CDKN2AOrphanet:99861Precursor T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia
PDGFRBOrphanet:168950Myeloid/lymphoid neoplasm associated with PDGFRB rearrangement
PDGFRBOrphanet:1980Bilateral striopallidodentate calcinosis
PDGFRBOrphanet:2591Infantile myofibromatosis
PDGFRBOrphanet:314950Primary hypereosinophilic syndrome
PDGFRBOrphanet:363665Acroosteolysis-keloid-like lesions-premature aging syndrome
PDGFRBOrphanet:477831Kosaki overgrowth syndrome
PDGFRBOrphanet:86830Chronic myeloproliferative disease, unclassifiable
PDGFBOrphanet:1980Bilateral striopallidodentate calcinosis
PDGFBOrphanet:2495Meningioma
PDGFBOrphanet:263662Familial multiple meningioma
PDGFBOrphanet:31112Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans

Cohort genes → proteins

3 cohort genes, 3 distinct canonical proteins.

Evidence partition

SubsetGenes
civic_only2
multi_evidence1

Cohort genes (full)

SymbolHGNCEnsemblUniProtNameEvidence
CDKN2AHGNC:1787ENSG00000147889P42771Cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2Acivic_evidence
PDGFRBHGNC:8804ENSG00000113721P09619Platelet-derived growth factor receptor betacivic_evidence
PDGFBHGNC:8800ENSG00000100311P01127Platelet-derived growth factor subunit Bclinvar

Cohort function summary

Lead sentence per gene, UniProt-curated.

SymbolProtein nameFunction (lead sentence)
CDKN2ACyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2AActs as a negative regulator of the proliferation of normal cells by interacting strongly with CDK4 and CDK6.
PDGFRBPlatelet-derived growth factor receptor betaTyrosine-protein kinase that acts as a cell-surface receptor for homodimeric PDGFB and PDGFD and for heterodimers formed by PDGFA and PDGFB, and plays an essential role in the regulation of embryonic development, cell proliferation, surviv…
PDGFBPlatelet-derived growth factor subunit BGrowth factor that plays an essential role in the regulation of embryonic development, cell proliferation, cell migration, survival and chemotaxis.

Protein-family classification

Druggable: 1 · Difficult: 1 · Unknown: 1 · Druggable fraction: 0.33

Family distribution

Cohort families vs a genome-wide background (hypergeometric, BH-FDR; fold = observed/expected). Counts kept; sorted by enrichment, so the catch-all Other/Unknown bucket no longer leads.

FamilyGenesFoldFDR
Kinase19.2×0.246
Scaffold/PPI15.8×0.246
Other/Unknown10.6×0.914

Per-gene assignment

SymbolFamilyDruggable?ECInterPro (top 3)
CDKN2AScaffold/PPInoAnkyrin_rpt-contain_sf, Ank_Repeat/CDKN_Inhibitor, Tumor_suppres_ARF
PDGFRBKinaseyes2.7.10.1Prot_kinase_dom, Ser-Thr/Tyr_kinase_cat_dom, Tyr_kinase_rcpt_3_CS
PDGFBOther/UnknownnoPDGF/VEGF_dom, PDGF_N, PD_growth_factor_CS

Expression context

Cohort genes with no expression data: 0.

3 cohort genes are a single-cell marker in ≥1 SCXA experiment.

Breadth distribution (Bgee present_calls)

BucketGenes
narrow (1-5 tissues)0
moderate (6-20)0
broad (>20)3
unknown0

Top tissues across cohort

TissueCohort genes
cervix squamous epithelium1
parotid gland1
pituitary gland1
endocervix1
right coronary artery1
stromal cell of endometrium1
apex of heart1
olfactory bulb1
type B pancreatic cell1

Per-gene tissue summary (top 30)

SymbolBgee breadthFANTOM5 breadthSCXATop tissues
CDKN2A220ubiquitousmarkerparotid gland, cervix squamous epithelium, pituitary gland
PDGFRB270ubiquitousmarkerstromal cell of endometrium, right coronary artery, endocervix
PDGFB259ubiquitousmarkerolfactory bulb, type B pancreatic cell, apex of heart

Protein interactions among cohort

Intra-cohort edges: 1.

Hub genes (top 10 by interactor count)

SymbolInteractor count
CDKN2A9,311
PDGFRB5,111
PDGFB2,424

Intra-cohort edges

ABSources
PDGFBPDGFRBbiogrid_interaction, intact, string_interaction

Structural data

PDB: 3 · AlphaFold-only: 0 · No structure: 0

Cohort genes with PDB structures (top 30)

SymbolUniProtPDB entries
PDGFRBP096198
PDGFBP011276
CDKN2AP427715

Function

Pathway analysis

Distinct Reactome pathways touched by cohort: 66. Enrichment computed across 3 evidence-associated genes (3 with Reactome annotation).

Pathways by enrichment

Over-representation of cohort genes vs the genome-wide background (hypergeometric test, Benjamini-Hochberg FDR; fold = observed/expected over 3 annotated cohort genes). Counts and members are kept as ground-truth; sorted by enrichment.

PathwayCohort genesFoldFDRSample cohort genes
Downstream signal transduction2253.8×0.001PDGFB, PDGFRB
Signaling by PDGF2169.2×0.001PDGFB, PDGFRB
Evasion of Oncogene Induced Senescence Due to p14ARF Defects13806.7×0.003CDKN2A
Evasion of Oxidative Stress Induced Senescence Due to p14ARF Defects13806.7×0.003CDKN2A
Evasion of Oncogene Induced Senescence Due to Defective p16INK4A binding to CDK411903.3×0.003CDKN2A
Evasion of Oxidative Stress Induced Senescence Due to Defective p16INK4A binding to CDK411903.3×0.003CDKN2A
Defective Intrinsic Pathway for Apoptosis Due to p14ARF Loss of Function11903.3×0.003CDKN2A
Diseases of Cellular Senescence11268.9×0.003CDKN2A
Evasion of Oncogene Induced Senescence Due to p16INK4A Defects11268.9×0.003CDKN2A
Evasion of Oncogene Induced Senescence Due to Defective p16INK4A binding to CDK4 and CDK611268.9×0.003CDKN2A
Evasion of Oxidative Stress Induced Senescence Due to p16INK4A Defects11268.9×0.003CDKN2A
Evasion of Oxidative Stress Induced Senescence Due to Defective p16INK4A binding to CDK4 and CDK611268.9×0.003CDKN2A
Diseases of cellular response to stress11268.9×0.003CDKN2A
Constitutive Signaling by Aberrant PI3K in Cancer284.6×0.003PDGFB, PDGFRB
PI5P, PP2A and IER3 Regulate PI3K/AKT Signaling264.5×0.003PDGFB, PDGFRB
PIP3 activates AKT signaling244.5×0.003PDGFB, PDGFRB
RAF/MAP kinase cascade240.7×0.003PDGFB, PDGFRB
RUNX3 regulates p14-ARF1380.7×0.010CDKN2A
Apoptotic factor-mediated response1292.8×0.012CDKN2A
Stabilization of p531253.8×0.012CDKN2A
Defective Intrinsic Pathway for Apoptosis1253.8×0.012CDKN2A
p53-Dependent G1 DNA Damage Response1237.9×0.012CDKN2A
p53-Dependent G1/S DNA damage checkpoint1237.9×0.012CDKN2A
G1/S DNA Damage Checkpoints1223.9×0.012CDKN2A
Diseases of programmed cell death1211.5×0.012CDKN2A
SUMOylation of transcription factors1190.3×0.013CDKN2A
Regulation of MITF-M-dependent genes involved in cell cycle and proliferation1190.3×0.013CDKN2A
Regulation of TP53 Expression and Degradation1173.0×0.014CDKN2A
G1 Phase1131.3×0.017CDKN2A
Oncogene Induced Senescence1112.0×0.019CDKN2A

GO biological processes by enrichment

Over-representation of cohort genes vs the genome-wide background (hypergeometric test, Benjamini-Hochberg FDR; fold = observed/expected over 3 annotated cohort genes). Counts and members are kept as ground-truth; sorted by enrichment.

GO termCohort genesFoldFDRSample cohort genes
positive regulation of metanephric mesenchymal cell migration by platelet-derived growth factor receptor-beta signaling pathway23744.9×8e-06PDGFB, PDGFRB
smooth muscle adaptation22808.7×8e-06PDGFB, PDGFRB
positive regulation of DNA biosynthetic process2749.0×8e-05PDGFB, PDGFRB
positive regulation of smooth muscle cell migration2660.9×8e-05PDGFB, PDGFRB
positive regulation of calcium ion import2624.1×8e-05PDGFB, PDGFRB
positive regulation of chemotaxis2561.7×8e-05PDGFB, PDGFRB
positive regulation of MAP kinase activity2432.1×1e-04PDGFB, PDGFRB
platelet-derived growth factor receptor signaling pathway2374.5×1e-04PDGFB, PDGFRB
positive regulation of mitotic nuclear division2362.4×1e-04PDGFB, PDGFRB
positive regulation of reactive oxygen species metabolic process2340.4×1e-04PDGFB, PDGFRB
peptidyl-tyrosine phosphorylation2280.9×2e-04PDGFB, PDGFRB
positive regulation of smooth muscle cell proliferation2220.3×3e-04PDGFB, PDGFRB
cell chemotaxis2123.5×8e-04PDGFB, PDGFRB
cell migration involved in coronary angiogenesis15617.3×0.001PDGFRB
metanephric glomerular mesangial cell development15617.3×0.001PDGFB
metanephric glomerular mesangial cell proliferation involved in metanephros development15617.3×0.001PDGFRB
positive regulation of vascular associated smooth muscle cell dedifferentiation15617.3×0.001PDGFB
positive regulation of metanephric mesenchymal cell migration15617.3×0.001PDGFB
negative regulation of phosphatidylinositol biosynthetic process12808.7×0.002PDGFB
nuclear body organization12808.7×0.002CDKN2A
cell migration involved in vasculogenesis12808.7×0.002PDGFRB
cellular response to mycophenolic acid12808.7×0.002PDGFB
smooth muscle cell chemotaxis12808.7×0.002PDGFRB
positive regulation of ERK1 and ERK2 cascade256.7×0.002PDGFB, PDGFRB
positive regulation of glomerular filtration11872.4×0.002PDGFB
positive regulation of cell proliferation by VEGF-activated platelet derived growth factor receptor signaling pathway11872.4×0.002PDGFRB
apoptotic process involved in mammary gland involution11872.4×0.002CDKN2A
metanephric glomerular capillary formation11872.4×0.002PDGFRB
positive regulation of macrophage apoptotic process11872.4×0.002CDKN2A
positive regulation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B signal transduction252.2×0.002PDGFB, PDGFRB

Therapeutics

Drugs indicated for this disease

0 approved, 1 in late-stage (phase 3) trials. Disease-direct ChEMBL indications, not inferred from the associated-gene cohort below.

DrugDevelopment status
IfosfamidePhase 3 (in late-stage trials)

Earlier-phase candidates (phase 2, investigational — efficacy not yet established): Pazopanib.

Drug target analysis

Approved (phase 4): 1 · Phase ≥3: 1 · Phased (≥1): 1 · Undrugged: 2

Druggability breadth: 3 of 3 evidence-associated genes (100%) have a ChEMBL target (buckets above are over the deeply-mined display cohort).

Genes with an approved drug

The molecule shown is one approved compound that hits the gene — not necessarily a drug of choice or one indicated for this disease.

SymbolExample approved molecule
PDGFRBPONATINIB

Top cohort targets by molecule count

SymbolMoleculesMax phase
PDGFRB1024
CDKN2A00
PDGFB00

Drugs targeting cohort genes (top 30)

MoleculeMax phaseTargets in cohort
PONATINIB4PDGFRB
FEDRATINIB4PDGFRB
TIVOZANIB4PDGFRB
LENVATINIB4PDGFRB
AXITINIB4PDGFRB
SORAFENIB4PDGFRB
SUNITINIB MALATE4PDGFRB
REGORAFENIB4PDGFRB
PACRITINIB4PDGFRB
VANDETANIB4PDGFRB
NILOTINIB4PDGFRB
BOSUTINIB4PDGFRB
NINTEDANIB ESYLATE4PDGFRB
GILTERITINIB4PDGFRB
TOVORAFENIB4PDGFRB
PEXIDARTINIB4PDGFRB
PAZOPANIB4PDGFRB
NINTEDANIB4PDGFRB
SUNITINIB4PDGFRB
DASATINIB4PDGFRB
ERLOTINIB4PDGFRB
LAPATINIB4PDGFRB
QUIZARTINIB4PDGFRB
MIDOSTAURIN4PDGFRB
IMATINIB4PDGFRB
VATALANIB3PDGFRB
FAMITINIB3PDGFRB
MASITINIB3PDGFRB
CRENOLANIB3PDGFRB
SARACATINIB3PDGFRB

Bioactivity and enzyme data

Enzyme cohort genes (≥1 EC): 1.

Cohort genes with ChEMBL bioactivity (full, sorted by assay count)

SymbolAssaysType breakdown
PDGFRB1,237Binding:1213, Functional:16, ADMET:8
PDGFB3Binding:3
CDKN2A2Binding:2

Cohort enzymes (BRENDA EC)

SymbolEC numbersNames
PDGFRB2.7.10.1receptor protein-tyrosine kinase

Cohort genes with high screening signal

≥100 ChEMBL assays — a studied-ness signal; see Therapeutics for approved-drug status.

SymbolChEMBL assays
PDGFRB1,237

Pharmacogenomics

Cohort genes with a PharmGKB record: 3; with CPIC/DPWG dosing guidelines: 0.

No cohort gene has a CPIC/DPWG genotype-guided dosing guideline (PharmGKB).

Chemical tractability of cohort targets

28 approved/phased compounds have measured bioactivity against a cohort gene (and aren’t yet in disease-level trials). This is a research / tractability signal, NOT a therapeutic recommendation — a bioactivity row often reflects off-target or screening binding (e.g. promiscuous kinase inhibitors against a cohort kinase), implying no disease mechanism.

CompoundMax phaseCohort target (bioactivity)
PONATINIB4PDGFRB
FEDRATINIB4PDGFRB
TIVOZANIB4PDGFRB
LENVATINIB4PDGFRB
AXITINIB4PDGFRB
SORAFENIB4PDGFRB
SUNITINIB MALATE4PDGFRB
REGORAFENIB4PDGFRB
PACRITINIB4PDGFRB
VANDETANIB4PDGFRB
NILOTINIB4PDGFRB
BOSUTINIB4PDGFRB
NINTEDANIB ESYLATE4PDGFRB
GILTERITINIB4PDGFRB
TOVORAFENIB4PDGFRB
PEXIDARTINIB4PDGFRB
PAZOPANIB4PDGFRB
NINTEDANIB4PDGFRB
SUNITINIB4PDGFRB
DASATINIB4PDGFRB
ERLOTINIB4PDGFRB
LAPATINIB4PDGFRB
QUIZARTINIB4PDGFRB
MIDOSTAURIN4PDGFRB
VATALANIB3PDGFRB
FAMITINIB3PDGFRB
MASITINIB3PDGFRB
CRENOLANIB3PDGFRB

Druggability pyramid

Cohort genes binned by druggability tier (high → low):

TierDefinitionGenesSymbols
AApproved (phase 4 drug)1PDGFRB
BPhased (≥1) drug, not yet approved0
CDruggable family + PDB, no drug0
DDruggable family + AlphaFold only, no drug0
EDifficult family or no structure, no drug2CDKN2A, PDGFB

Undrugged target profiles

2 cohort genes are undrugged. Ranked by ‘starting-point quality’ (assay depth + drugged-partner adjacency).

SymbolChEMBL assaysDrugged partners (top 3)
PDGFB3PDGFRB
CDKN2A2

Clinical trials & evidence

Clinical trials

Clinical trials: 12.

Phase distribution (across all retrieved trials)

PhaseTrials
PHASE24
PHASE1/PHASE23
PHASE12
Not specified2
PHASE31

Top trials by phase / activity

NCTPhaseStatusTitle
NCT00346164PHASE3COMPLETEDObservation, Radiation Therapy, Combination Chemotherapy, and/or Surgery in Treating Young Patients With Soft Tissue Sarcoma
NCT00084630PHASE2COMPLETEDImatinib Mesylate in Treating Patients With Locally Recurrent or Metastatic Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans
NCT00122473PHASE1/PHASE2COMPLETEDImatinib in Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans (DFSP)
NCT00171912PHASE2COMPLETEDImatinib Mesylate in Patients With Various Types of Malignancies Involving Activated Tyrosine Kinase Enzymes
NCT00243191PHASE2COMPLETEDNeoadjuvant Imatinib in Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans
NCT00659360PHASE2COMPLETEDAZD0530 in Treating Patients With Recurrent Locally Advanced or Metastatic Soft Tissue Sarcoma
NCT01154452PHASE1/PHASE2COMPLETEDVismodegib and Gamma-Secretase/Notch Signalling Pathway Inhibitor RO4929097 in Treating Patients With Advanced or Metastatic Sarcoma
NCT01962103PHASE1/PHASE2COMPLETEDStudy to Find a Safe Dose and Show Early Clinical Activity of Weekly Nab-paclitaxel in Pediatric Patients With Recurrent/ Refractory Solid Tumors
NCT06610071PHASE1NOT_YET_RECRUITINGNIFR Image-guided Surgery for Malignant Soft Tissue Tumor With Low-dose SWIG Technique
NCT00720174PHASE1COMPLETEDCixutumumab and Doxorubicin Hydrochloride in Treating Patients With Unresectable, Locally Advanced, or Metastatic Soft Tissue Sarcoma
NCT02310503Not specifiedCOMPLETEDSpanish Registry of Mohs Surgery
NCT03381846Not specifiedCOMPLETEDTreatment of Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans in Patients 10 Years and Younger

Drugs tested across these trials (top 30)

MoleculeMax phaseTrials referencing
IFOSFAMIDE41
IMATINIB41
VISMODEGIB41
SARACATINIB31
CIXUTUMUMAB21
CHEMBL443858401

Precision-medicine subtype map (CIViC)

Drug × molecular subtype: 7 predictive associations from 11 curated evidence items; also 6 diagnostic, 1 oncogenic.

Molecular subtypeTherapyEffectLevelCIViC
COL1A1::PDGFB FusionImatinibSensitivity/ResponseCIViC AEID11271
COL1A1::PDGFB FusionImatinib MesylateSensitivity/ResponseCIViC BEID10332 +3
PDGFB RearrangementImatinib MesylateSensitivity/ResponseCIViC CEID10312 +1
COL1A1::PDGFB FusionSunitinibSensitivity/ResponseCIViC CEID7991
PDGFB RearrangementSorafenib TosylateSensitivity/ResponseCIViC CEID10333
PDGFRB OverexpressionSunitinibSensitivity/ResponseCIViC CEID7992
CDKN2A LossPalbociclibSensitivity/ResponseCIViC DEID1881