Other conditions that can cause a palpable periumbilical mass include umbilical hernia, infection, and endometriosis.
Medical imaging, such as abdominal ultrasound, may be used to distinguish a Sister Mary Joseph nodule from another kind of mass.
Unknown primary tumors and rarely, urinary or respiratory tract malignancies can cause umbilical metastases.
[6] Sister Mary Joseph nodule is associated with multiple peritoneal metastases and a poor prognosis.
The eponymous term Sister Mary Joseph nodule was coined in 1949 by Hamilton Bailey.