A Sister Mary Joseph nodule refers to a cancerous tumor in your navel (belly button). The tumor is a symptom of several kinds of metastatic cancer including colon cancer, ovarian cancer, stomach cancer and uterine cancer. In some cases, navel tumors are the first sign that cancer is spreading from where it started.
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A Sister Mary Joseph nodule (SMJN) is metastatic cancer in your navel (belly button). Healthcare providers may use the term nodule to describe the tumor. People with a Sister Mary Joseph nodule may already have cancer symptoms. But sometimes, the nodule is the first one.
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The disease is named after Sister Mary Joseph, a nun who was a surgical assistant helping people get ready for surgery. In 1928, she noticed many people with certain types of metastatic cancer had unusual lumps in their navels. She also noticed surgery to remove tumors often didn’t keep cancer from getting worse.
The nodule may look like a lump sticking out of your belly button. It may be smooth or have a rough surface that’s white, bluish purple or a brownish-red color. Typically, nodules are small, measuring less than 5 millimeters (less than a quarter-inch). The lump usually isn’t painful, but it may itch, or ooze blood or pus.
Sometimes, a nodule is the only obvious change in your body. But the underlying cancer may cause symptoms, like:
This disease happens if you have cancer in your belly or pelvis that’s spread to your navel. SMJN most commonly originates from gastrointestinal or gynecologic cancers. Common examples are:
When cancer spreads, it means there are cells from the original cancerous tumor in your belly button. For example, colon cancer that spreads to your belly button is metastatic colon cancer. An SMJN is a symptom of metastatic cancer.
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Sometimes, healthcare providers can’t find the first cancer. In that case, your provider may say an SMJN is a symptom of metastatic carcinoma of unknown primary (CUP).
Adenocarcinoma is the most common type of cancer that spreads to your belly button if you have a Sister Mary Joseph nodule. This type of cancer starts in glands that line your organs.
Cancer cells may spread via your lymphatic system or your bloodstream. In some cases, a cancerous tumor grows large enough to invade your navel.
Healthcare providers will do tests to determine whether the lump is cancerous and, if so, the initial cancer’s type. Tests may include blood tests, CT scans to see if there are other tumors, and a biopsy or fine needle aspiration to get tissue samples.
Treatment for an SMJN will depend on the type of cancer, the cancer stage and your overall health. You may have chemotherapy. In some cases, your provider may recommend surgery to remove a tumor.
An SMJN is a symptom of cancer that started in another part of your body. Without treatment, cancer may continue to spread.
You should contact a healthcare provider if there’s a lump in your navel, even if you don’t have any other changes in your body. That said, you should talk to a provider any time you notice changes like losing weight without trying or spotting blood in your pee or poop. Several conditions, including cancer, may cause these symptoms. Talking to a provider is the only way to find out what’s going on in your body.
Yes, you can. Although most navel tumors are metastatic cancer, about 1 in 5 tumors start in your navel. Examples include skin cancers like melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma.
No, the symptom was first known as “pants button” umbilicus. About 20 years later, a medical historian coined the name Sister Mary Joseph nodule.
A lump in your navel or belly button may mean you have cancer in your belly or pelvis that’s spread. Sometimes the lump, known as a Sister Mary Joseph nodule, is the first cancer symptom. Cancer that has spread is challenging to treat. Chemotherapy and, in some cases, surgery, can treat the cancer. The treatments may not be a cure. But they may keep cancer from spreading even more.
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