title: Sister Mary Joseph nodule: a case report.
abstract: A metastatic malignancy of the umbilicus is commonly termed Sister Mary Joseph nodule (SMJN). It is a rare occurrence but may represent the first sign of a visceral malignancy and therefore should prompt a thorough search for the primary tumor. Typically, the most common origin of an umbilical metastasis is an adenocarcinoma from a gastrointestinal or gynecologic primary malignancy. The presence of SMJN carries a poor prognosis with the average survival time at the appearance of an umbilical metastasis being 10 months. We report a case of a 66-year-old man who was referred for evaluation of an enlarging umbilical lesion. Histopathology revealed adenocarcinoma. After a full metastatic workup, the tumor of origin was identified as adenocarcinoma of the sigmoid colon. Benign tumors of the umbilicus are uncommon. This case report serves to emphasize the importance of obtaining a histologic diagnosis when any new lesion presents in the umbilical region.
authors.affiliation: Family Practice Residency, University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey, School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, USA. abcalleo@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baratta
authors.forename: Risa J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Gorin
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Costa
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005472:Fluorouracil; D006801:Humans; D002955:Leucovorin; D008297:Male; D009944:Organoplatinum Compounds; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery; D014472:Umbilicus / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D009944:Organoplatinum Compounds; D002955:Leucovorin; D005472:Fluorouracil