[Adenocarcinoma of the umbilicus].
BACKGROUND
Most of the umbilical neoplastic processes are metastatic whereas primary adenocarcinoma is scarce and hard to distinguish from a secondary process. Our observation illustrates this difficulty.


METHODS
A fifty year-old woman had developed chronic omphalitis over several years. She consulted for a multinodular, erythemato-violine, oozing and deep infiltrating tumor of the umbilicus which had been developing for two months. The anatomopathological exploration of a biopsy of the lesion suggested a clearly differentiated adenocarcinoma whose digestive origin was the most likely. Investigations for a primary neoplasm were negative. Polychemotherapy was efficient with eight months recline.


CONCLUSIONS
Umbilical metastases are referred to as Sister Marie Joseph nodule. They essentially correspond to a metastatic localization of an intra abdominal adenocarcinoma. The major problem consists in distinguishing a Sister Marie Joseph nodule where the neoplasm remains indefinite from an adenocarcinoma developed from an embryonic remainder. The existence in our patient's case history of a chronic omphalitis developing for Years and the negative tests for a primary neoplasm suggest a primary adenocarcinoma of the umbilicus.
Fourati
M
M
Service de Dermatologie, EPS La Rabta-Tunis, Tunisie.
El Euch
D
D
Haouet
H
H
Boussen
H
H
Haouet
S
S
Mokni
M
M
Ben Osman Dhahri
A
A
D000008:Abdominal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D014472:Umbilicus