[Multiple Sister Mary Joseph's nodules in a patient with gastric cancer].

History and Clinical Findings: A 52-year-old patient presented with a 6-months history of painful, progressive erythematous periumbilical papules and nodules. Seven months previously, an advanced stage of an adenocarcinoma of the stomach with peritoneal carcinosis and malignant ascites had been diagnosed.
Investigations: Clinical examination showed ten firm, painful, umbilicated, erythematous, polygonal papules and nodules (size up to 7 mm), partly covered with central hemorrhagic crusts or scales. The histological examination revealed epithelial cell clusters infiltrating the dermis and forming tubular structures. The prominent nuclei varied in size, some were vacuolated. Signet ring structures were visible in the tumor. Immunohistochemical staining revealed MNF116 expressing tumor cells, consistent with a moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma.
Diagnosis: Multiple Sister Mary Joseph's nodules - periumbilical skin metastases from gastric carcinoma.
Treatment and Course: The previous palliative chemotherapy with capecitabine will be expanded by irinotecan after completion of local iradiation of an esophageal stenosis. The patient declined additional local therapeutic options such as excision or electric chemotherapy.
Conclusion: Sister Mary Joseph's nodule is a rare, umbilical cutaneous metastatic tumor originating from advanced metastatic intraabdominal or intrapelvic malignancies. Our case is remarkable because of the number of the umbilical and periumbilical, but otherwise characteristic nodules. Sister Mary Joseph's nodules are associated with a dismal prognosis. As they may precede cancer diagnosis, histological investigation of suspect umbilical nodules should be performed.
(© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)