BACKGROUND:

Endometriosis is an inflammatory disease that affects up to 15-44% of fertile women, however its location at the level of the abdominal wall is a rare entity. The different lesions that can settle at this level make preoperative diagnosis difficult

OBJECTIVES:

To report the case of an umbilical basal cell carcinoma in a patient with suspected endometriosis of the abdominal wall and to review the literature, especially on the importance of differential diagnosis.

CLINICAL CASE:

A 45-year-old woman who presented a basal cell carcinoma at the umbilical level. The anatomical situation and the painful and bleeding induration at the umbilical level, led to an initial misdiagnosis of umbilical endometriosis. This tumor of a high-risk histological subtype requires optimal management, based on an aggressive surgical technique with control of the affected margins. In postoperative check-ups, the patient remains asymptomatic, with no apparent lesions of recurrence.

A bibliographic search was carried out and 14 articles were included on case reports and literature reviews of abdominal wall endometriosis and basal cell carcinoma. The surgical approach using Mohs micrographic surgery has been established as the most recommended method at present.

CONCLUSIONS:

The suspicion of abdominal wall is usually based on the appearance of a lesion with cyclical variations on the bed of a surgical incision. The different lesions that can settle at the level of the abdominal wall make preoperative diagnosis difficult, with the histological study finally being the one that yields the definitive result.

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