Jürgen Drews’ wife had aggressive skin cancer – that’s behind DFSP

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It came as a huge shock to the family when Ramona Drews was diagnosed with dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans skin cancer last spring. As the daughter, Joelina Drews, said in an interview with “Bild”, the 49-year-old had to be operated on immediately. According to Joelina Drews, Ramona Drews’ cancer didn’t spread, so today she is fine.

DFSP grows slowly and rarely metastasizes

Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) is a connective tissue-like tumor that grows uncontrollably and can attack and destroy surrounding tissue such as muscles and bones. It originates from deeper cells in the skin layer and presents as one or more hardened and raised patches of skin that can be reddish to brownish-yellow in color and most commonly appear on areas such as the chest, back, upper arms and thighs.

The good news: It grows slowly, rarely forms secondary tumors, i.e. metastases, and is therefore not that malignant. Therefore, those affected have good prospects. According to “Infoportal-Hautkrebs.de”, the metastatic rate is even less than one percent. Unfortunately, there is also a more dangerous subtype: DFSP transformed by fibrosarcoma, also known as DFSP-FS. This form is far more malignant and also metastasizes more frequently than DFSP.

DFSP is rare form of skin cancer

According to the German Cancer Aid, skin cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer. A total of 308,000 people are diagnosed each year. However, most people develop light or white skin cancer, which rarely forms secondary tumors, i.e. metastases, and is therefore easily treatable. Far more dangerous is black skin cancer, the so-called malignant melanoma, which is particularly malignant and offers poor chances of recovery, especially if detected too late.

DFSP, on the other hand, is a rare type of skin cancer: only about 1 in 100,000 people in Germany are affected each year. The disease affects men and women equally, the average age is 40 years – but younger people and children can also be affected.

Causes and risk factors for DFSP largely unclear

What exactly causes this is unclear. Risk factors are therefore not known. According to the German Society for Dermatosurgery eV (DGDC), however, it is known that certain genetic changes can stimulate tumor growth. Since the disease initially causes no symptoms, those affected only feel that the tissue is thickening.

Treatment of DFSP

If the tumor is discovered and diagnosed with certainty using a tissue sample, it must be surgically removed. To prevent it from reoccurring, some of the surrounding unaffected tissue must also be removed. Radiation can also be considered as a treatment – especially if the tumor can no longer be operated on due to its size and location.

Medication is also used in the treatment. For example, with metabolism blockers such as the drug imatinib, which cause the tumor to shrink.

prevent skin cancer

The causes and risk factors for the rare form of skin cancer DFSP are unclear. However, the risk factors for the common types of skin cancer, white and black skin cancer, are well known: UV radiation. It is therefore important to protect yourself from intense sunlight. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), natural UV radiation, like radiation in solariums, is the highest category of cancer-causing factors – just as bad as tobacco and asbestos, for example.

According to German Cancer Aid, the risk of skin cancer also increases due to the following factors:

frequent sunburns, also in childhood and adolescence visits to the solarium many pigment spots on the skin a weakened immune system skin cancer in the family

Preventing cancer through a healthy lifestyle

The risk of developing cancer can be significantly reduced through a healthy lifestyle – cancer and prevention researchers have known this for a long time. Here are the nine most important tips:

Avoid being overweight Move every day Eat healthy Don’t smoke Drink as little alcohol as possible Avoid carcinogenic substances Protect from UV radiation Vaccination against cancer (hepatitis B; HPV) Use offers for early cancer detection