The Mystery Of "Missing" Fingerprints

Reported by : Elliase Star

The man, identified only as Mr. S., was detained at airport customs for four hours until puzzled Homeland Security officials were able to verify his identity by other means, according to a letter posted online in Annals of Oncology.

The loss of fingerprints is part of a condition known as hand-foot syndrome -- formally palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia -- that arises in patients taking capecitabine (Xeloda), according to the man's doctor, Eng-Huat Tan, M.D., of the Singapore National Cancer Centre.

The syndrome causes chronic inflammation of the palms or soles of the feet and the skin can peel, bleed and develop ulcers or blisters. "This can give rise to eradication of finger prints with time," Dr. Tan said in a statement.

The syndrome appears to be relatively common among capecitabine patients. One study, published in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacology in 2004, found that 65% of patients in clinical trials of the drug developed hand-foot syndrome, although only about 5% had a grade 3 condition.

Labels: reports

The Mystery Of "Missing" Fingerprints

Reported by : Elliase Star

The man, identified only as Mr. S., was detained at airport customs for four hours until puzzled Homeland Security officials were able to verify his identity by other means, according to a letter posted online in Annals of Oncology.

The loss of fingerprints is part of a condition known as hand-foot syndrome -- formally palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia -- that arises in patients taking capecitabine (Xeloda), according to the man's doctor, Eng-Huat Tan, M.D., of the Singapore National Cancer Centre.

The syndrome causes chronic inflammation of the palms or soles of the feet and the skin can peel, bleed and develop ulcers or blisters. "This can give rise to eradication of finger prints with time," Dr. Tan said in a statement.

The syndrome appears to be relatively common among capecitabine patients. One study, published in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacology in 2004, found that 65% of patients in clinical trials of the drug developed hand-foot syndrome, although only about 5% had a grade 3 condition.

Labels: reports