Sister Mary Joseph’s nodule as a first sign of pancreatic cancer

The Neoplastic Side of the Abdominal Wall: A Comprehensive Pictorial Essay of Benign and Malignant Neoplasms

Abdominal wall neoplasms are usually benign and, in the majority of these cases, no further work-up or treatment is indicated. The percentage of malignant abdominal neoplasms, however, is not negligible. Radiologists play a pivotal role in identifying imaging features that should favor malignancy, including larger lesion size, edema, neurovascular involvement, and peripheral or inhomogeneous dynamic enhancement, thus indicating to the clinician the need for further work-up. Histopathology is the reference standard for the characterization of abdominal wall neoplasms. In patients undergoing surgery, radiological assessment is needed to guide the surgeon by providing a comprehensive anatomic guide of the tumor extension. We present a pictorial review of benign and malignant abdominal wall neoplasms that can be encountered on radiological examinations, with a main focus on CT and MRI features that help in narrowing the differential diagnosis.

Metastatic Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma to Umbilical Skin

Sister Mary Joseph nodule (SMJN) is a rare metastasis to umbilical skin originating from internal tumors including the stomach, ovary and large intestine and less commonly from pancreatic cancers. We report an uncommon case of metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma to umbilical skin.

An 85-year-old female presented with a 1.8 cm protrusion of the right lateral umbilicus. The CT scan showed a 3.5 cm pancreatic lesion, peritoneal carcinomatosis and abdominal lymphadenopathy.

Histology examination revealed atypical infiltrative glandular structures. Immunohistochemistry showed positive CK7, negative CDX2 and P53 with mutated patterns. These were consistent with metastatic adenocarcinoma most consistent with pancreatobiliary or upper GI origin.

CK7 expresses in the ductal cells in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. While CDX2 is positive in intestinal-type adenocarcinoma, it is negative in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. The diagnosis of adenocarcinoma is rendered based on the presence of a pancreatic lesion in CT scan, positive CK7 and negative CDX2 in umbilical nodule tumor cells in the current patient.

Sister Mary Joseph Nodule as an Initial Presentation of Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma

Sister Mary Joseph (SMJ) nodule is a metastatic umbilical nodule seen in primary tumors of the gastrointestinal or genitourinary tract. The stomach and colon are the common gastrointestinal cancers associated with SMJ nodule. The pancreas is a rare primary site for umbilical metastasis. Moreover, malignant umbilical nodules as the first presentation in pancreatic cancer is rare. Pancreatic adenocarcinoma that metastasizes to umbilicus usually arise from the body or tail of the pancreas. The presence of SMJ nodule usually indicates poor prognosis. Umbilical nodule is a simple physical finding to the presence of an advanced intra-abdominal malignancy. Although rare, pancreatic cancer should be considered as one of the primary sites in such a situation.

Case of a Sister Mary Joseph's Nodule in a High Grade Serous Carcinoma

Sister Mary Joseph's nodule (SMJN) is a metastatic malignancy of the umbilicus usually indicative of advanced, metastatic disease. It is a rare occurrence, but it may be the first sign of abdominal cancer, most commonly an adenocarcinoma metastasis from a gastrointestinal or gynecologic primary malignancy. We present the case of an 82-year-old woman with an acute, 2 cm non-tender mass located at the umbilicus, diagnostic indication of an SMJN. Additional investigations included imaging via ultrasound and a pelvic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) along with a biopsy and immunohistochemical staining in order to further characterize the mass. Our findings are discussed in the following case report.

Sister Mary Joseph's nodule as initial pancreatic cancer manifestation

We report the case of an 85-year-old female patient who presented with umbilical pain associated with an indurated growth, the whole being apparently consistent with incarcerated umbilical hernia, which prompted an urgent surgical procedure for its removal. The pathology study revealed dermal infiltration by a malignancy. Gland tumor cells expressed an immunohistochemical profile initially consistent with a pancreatic origin. In view of these findings a CT scan was performed, which revealed a pancreatic tail tumor as well as multiple hepatic metastasis. Skin metastasis is a rare sign usually reflecting a carcinoma of unknown origin. Umbilical skin metastasis, called Sister Mary Joseph´s nodule, reflect an intra-abdominal tumor, being pancreatic cancer strange.

Pancreatic cancer presenting as a Sister Mary Joseph's nodule

A 69-year-old man presented with a painful umbilical nodule of 1 month duration. On examination the nodule was blackish in colour with a serous discharging fluid and was 2×2 cm in size, tender and fixed to the skin. There were no scars or sinuses at the umbilicus and no palpable mass or organomegaly on systemic examination. The patient underwent wide local excision of the skin nodule and on histopathology was reported as metastatic adenocarcinoma of the skin. A CT of the abdomen was performed to look for the primary site, which showed a 5×4 cm lesion in the tail of the pancreas. A biopsy from the pancreatic lesion was taken which was reported as an adenocarcinoma. CA19-9 was more than 1000 U/mL. The patient was advised palliative chemotherapy with gemcitabine. He was unwilling to take any further treatment in view of the advanced nature of the disease.