Background: Adenocarcinoma derived from umbilicus is very rare. Most adenocarcinomas in umbilicus are secondary events. Carcinoma derived from sweat glands is sporadic, highly radioresistant and has a clinical appearance that is difficult to predict.
Case presentation: A 37-year-old woman presented with recurrent umbilicus adenocarcinoma after a history of umbilicus tumor surgery 14 months earlier and Capecitabine chemotherapy six times. Malignant cells were found in Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy (FNAB) examination. A colonoscopy examination found pathological colitis without any colonic mass. The patient underwent wide excision and reconstruction surgery using a composite attachment visceral mesh with a size of 30 × 30 cm. Histopathologic examination of the surgery diagnosed adenocarcinoma of the sudoriferous gland with adjacent tissue free of tumor cells. Six months post operation, Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan was performed and found neither residue nor recurrence.
Conclusions: Wide excision and reconstruction surgery for recurrent sweat gland umbilical adenocarcinoma followed by chemotherapy can be an alternative to prevent recurrences.
Keywords: Cancer recurrence; Radical excision; Reconstruction; Sudoriferous adenocarcinoma; Umbilical tumor.