Two case reports of umbilical metastasis: the enigmatic Sister Mary Joseph nodule
Authors:
Maaike Ramael,
Helene Poels,
Hilde Van Steelandt,
Wim Develter,
Marc Ramael
Background: Umbilical metastasis, also known as Sister Mary Joseph nodule, is a rare pathognomonic clinical sign suggesting the presence of an internal cancer. Case Presentation: We describe two female patients with Sister Mary Joseph nodule. In one case, there was a relapse of cancer. In the other patient, the Sister Mary Joseph nodule was the first and only clinical sign of an abdominal malignancy. We will briefly discuss the association with various internal malignancies as well as the pathogenesis and differential diagnosis. Conclusion: We conclude that Sister Mary Joseph nodule is a sign of intra-abdominal malignancy most frequently associated with gastro-intestinal or gynecological cancer. It can be the first and only clinical sign of abdominal malignancy in an otherwise healthy appearing patient or it can be an indication of oncological progressive disease, tumor relapse. Umbilical lesions should raise suspicion of a Sister Mary Joseph nodule, but a differential diagnosis must be made with other primary umbilical malignancies as well as with benign conditions involving the umbilicus.
Keywords: Sister Mary Joseph nodule, metastasis, umbilicus, gastric signet cell adenocarcinoma, ovarian serous papillary adenocarcinoma
Authors
Correspondence to:
Marc Ramael, Department of Pathology and Molecular Pathology, Heilig Hartziekenhuis, Lier, Belgium marc.ramael@heilighartlier.be
Publication history:
Received 21 Jul 2021
Revised 02 Dec 2021
Accepted 18 Dec 2021
Published online 14 Jan 2022
Published in print 13 Feb 2022
Ramael M, Poels H, Steelandt HV, Develter W, Ramael M. Two case reports of umbilical metastasis: the enigmatic Sister Mary Joseph nodule. EJMCR. 2022; 6(1): 17-20. doi:
10.24911/ejmcr/173-1626632974
Ramael M, Poels H, Steelandt HV, Develter W, Ramael M. Two case reports of umbilical metastasis: the enigmatic Sister Mary Joseph nodule. https://www.ejmcr.com/?mno=99081 [Access: September 20, 2024]. doi:
10.24911/ejmcr/173-1626632974
Ramael M, Poels H, Steelandt HV, Develter W, Ramael M. Two case reports of umbilical metastasis: the enigmatic Sister Mary Joseph nodule. EJMCR. 2022; 6(1): 17-20. doi:
10.24911/ejmcr/173-1626632974
Ramael M, Poels H, Steelandt HV, Develter W, Ramael M. Two case reports of umbilical metastasis: the enigmatic Sister Mary Joseph nodule. EJMCR. (2022), [cited September 20, 2024]; 6(1): 17-20. doi:
10.24911/ejmcr/173-1626632974
Ramael, M., Poels, . H., Steelandt, . H. V., Develter, . W. & Ramael, . M. (2022) Two case reports of umbilical metastasis: the enigmatic Sister Mary Joseph nodule. EJMCR, 6 (1), 17-20. doi:
10.24911/ejmcr/173-1626632974
Ramael, Maaike, Helene Poels, Hilde Van Steelandt, Wim Develter, and Marc Ramael. 2022. Two case reports of umbilical metastasis: the enigmatic Sister Mary Joseph nodule. European Journal of Medical Case Reports, 6 (1), 17-20. doi:
10.24911/ejmcr/173-1626632974
Ramael, Maaike, Helene Poels, Hilde Van Steelandt, Wim Develter, and Marc Ramael. "Two case reports of umbilical metastasis: the enigmatic Sister Mary Joseph nodule." European Journal of Medical Case Reports 6 (2022), 17-20. doi:
10.24911/ejmcr/173-1626632974
Ramael, Maaike, Helene Poels, Hilde Van Steelandt, Wim Develter, and Marc Ramael. "Two case reports of umbilical metastasis: the enigmatic Sister Mary Joseph nodule." European Journal of Medical Case Reports 6.1 (2022), 17-20. Print. doi:
10.24911/ejmcr/173-1626632974
Ramael, M., Poels, . H., Steelandt, . H. V., Develter, . W. & Ramael, . M. (2022) Two case reports of umbilical metastasis: the enigmatic Sister Mary Joseph nodule. European Journal of Medical Case Reports, 6 (1), 17-20. doi:
10.24911/ejmcr/173-1626632974