A 47 year old woman presents with fever, night sweats and this finding on examination and CT scan.  What is the eponymous name for this finding and what conditions can it caused by?

This is a “Sister Mary Joseph Nodule” which represents a cutaneous metsastatic process, usually from intra-abdominal or pelvic malignancy.  The most common causes are gastric cancer, colon cancer and pancreatic cancer.  It can also be seen in lymphoma and ovarian cancer.  Sister Mary Joseph Dempsey was a surgical assistant to Dr. William Mayo (one of the founders of the Mayo Clinic) and drew his attention to the phenomenon.

In honour of Women’s History Month (October) and the 135th Anniversary of Women’s Medical College on October 1st, our image challenges this month will have their roots in important accomplishments of women physicians. Stay tuned for more interesting cases.