Loss of Fingerprints as a Side Effect of Capecitabine Therapy: Case Report and Literature Review

Hand–foot syndrome (HFS) is the main side effect of capecitabine and affects the compression zones of the body such as the palms and soles, causing numbness, paresthesias, skin swelling or erythema, scaling, chapping, hard nodule-like blisters, and severe pain. Loss of fingerprints is also observed in some cases. Severe cases of HFS are common in the review of clinical reports. However, loss of fingerprints has not received significant attention. Two reported cases of loss of fingerprints in The New England Journal of Medicine and The BMJ have drawn attention to this side effect of capecitabine. Loss of fingerprints has a serious impact on patients’ daily life, especially on personal identification. This report describes a patient who lost her fingerprints during the early stage of chemotherapy. Our aim is to draw the medical profession’s attention to this problem.