Capecitabine-Associated Loss of Fingerprints: Report of Capecitabine-Induced Adermatoglyphia in Two Women with Breast Cancer and Review of Acquired Dermatoglyphic Absence in Oncology Patients Treated with Capecitabine

Capecitabine, an oral 5-fluorouracil prodrug, is currently used in the treatment of metastatic colorectal carcinoma and breast cancer. Fingerprints, also referred to as dermatoglyphics and characterized by the pattern of ridges and furrows on the fingertips, are used for identification by government agencies and personal electronic devices. Two women with breast cancer who were treated with capecitabine and developed drug-associated loss of their fingerprints are described. PubMed was used to search the following terms separately and in combination: absence, adermatoglyphia, breast, cancer, capecitabine, carcinoma, colon, colorectal, dermatoglyphics, fingerprint, fluorouracil, foot, hand, loss, malignancy, nasopharyngeal, oncology, reaction, rectal, skin, syndrome, tumor, and xeloda. The papers identified were reviewed and appropriate references were evaluated. The characteristics of capecitabine-induced adermatoglyphia in 20 oncology patients are reviewed. Most of the patients received either 2000 mg/m(2 )or 3500 mg, in divided doses, each day. Hand-foot syndrome, varying in severity from grade 1 to grade 4, always preceded the onset of fingerprint loss. The discovery of adermatoglyphia occurred as early as two weeks to as late as 3½ years after starting capecitabine. Patients were often unaware of their fingerprint loss until they experienced delays attempting to enter the United States, were unable to process government documents or obtain a driver’s license, or could not obtain access to their telephone, computer or gym which required fingerprint identification scanning. The loss of fingerprints was reversible for some of the individuals; however, several of the patients did not recover their dermatoglyphics, the functional quality of their fingerprints, or both after discontinuing the drug. The significance of capecitabine-induced adermatoglyphia will continue to increase as fingerprint identification continues to advance not only in scanning technology but also in global utilization. Therefore, it is essential that patients receiving capecitabine are aware of this potential adverse cutaneous sequellae.