Sister Mary Joseph nodules represent metastatic cancer of the umbilicus. More than half of these cases are attributable to gastrointestinal malignancies including gastric, colonic, and pancreatic cancer. In addition, gynecologic (ovarian, uterine cancer), unknown primary tumors, and, rarely, bladder or respiratory malignancies may cause umbilical metastasis. We report the case of a Sister Mary ...

We present 2 rare cases of umbilical metastases (Sister Mary Joseph's nodule) as the first sign of late recurrent ovarian cancer. Two patients with ovarian cancer treated with optimal debulking surgery plus chemotherapy were regularly followed up postoperatively. An isolated umbilical nodule was noted accidentally 8 years and 3 years, respectively, after the initial operation. Abdominal compute...

Sister Mary Joseph's nodule refers to palpable nodules bulging into the umbilicus as a result of metastasis from malignancy in the abdomen or pelvis. The most common primaries are in the gastrointestinal or genital tract, while other origins are considered rare. We recently treated a 71-year-old man who presented with painless umbilical swelling. Further investigation, including laboratory, rad...

A 69-year-old woman was diagnosed with stage IIIA advanced Type IV Klatskin cholangiocarcinoma, which was treated with radical choledochectomy, extended right hepatectomy and left hepaticojejunostomy. About six months after surgery, she presented with painless jaundice. A 2-18F-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography (F18-FDG PET-CT) was performed, which detect...

Sister Mary Joseph nodule is a rare form of umbilical metastasis. Often, this is the only initial presenting sign for an underlying internal malignancy and is usually associated with poor prognosis. Although the gastrointestinal tract is the most common primary site, the majority of these metastases are from gastric and colorectal sites. We report a case of Sister Mary Joseph nodule in a patien...

44 SA JOURNAL OF RADIOLOGY • September 2006 Cutaneous metastases localised to the umbilicus are named ‘Sister Mary Joseph’s nodules’. Sister Mary Joseph, who was the superintendent nurse and surgical assistant of Dr William Mayo at St. Mayo Hospital from 1856 to 1939, was the first to note the link between umbilical nodules and intra-abdominal malignancies. Metastases to the umbilicus are uncom...

A 76-year-old female presented to our hospital with a 2 cm firm, nontender, protuberant umbilical nodule. She received treatment with antibiotics for suspected granuloma, with no improvement after two months. High levels of CA125 as well as an ovarian cyst and intrathoracic and intra-abdominal lesions on imaging studies made us suspect an ovarian cancer with a Sister Mary Joseph nodule (SMJN) a...

A 61-year-old woman presented to the hospital with a 2-month history of a tender nodule on the umbilicus and an 1-week history of icteric sclera. Her vital signs were within normal ranges. On physical examination, we noted an 1-cm sized, hard and painful nodule on the umbilicus without swelling (Fig. 1A). The laboratory test showed the following findings: hemoglobin 11.4 g/dL, aspartate aminotr...