Umbilical Metastasis as Primary Manifestation of Cancer: A Small Series and Review of the Literature
ND17-ND19
Correspondence
Dr. Nikolaos Symeonidis,
49 Konstantinoupoleos str, Second Propedeutical Department of Surgery,
Hippokratio General Hospital, PC 54642, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Phone : +3023106945703331, E-mail : niksym@hotmail.com
Umbilical metastasis is a rare manifestation of intra-abdominal cancer. It appears either as the first sign of a primary malignancy or as metastatic site of an already diagnosed cancer, representing an ominous prognostic finding. We report three cases of umbilical metastasis as the first sign of an underlying malignancy. Hypotheses about pathophysiology of umbilical metastasis are based on the embryological origin of the umbilicus and its residual communication with systematic, portal and lymphatic circulation.