Blumer's shelf

In medicine, Blumer's shelf is a finding felt in rectal examination that indicates that a tumor has metastasized to the pouch of Douglas. It is usually a site of metastasis of cancers of the lung, pancreas, and stomach.

Blumer's shelf or peritoneal cul-de-sac, is a shelf palpable on rectal or vaginal examination. It is due to metastatic tumor cells gravitating from an abdominal cancer and growing in the rectovesical or rectouterine pouch.

Synonym(s): rectal shelf