This has got to be one of the most bizarre drug side effects ever
If any e-Alert readers happen to write for one of the many police procedural shows on television, I’m going to give you a gift today – something you’ll certainly be able to use in an upcoming script. And it happens to be one of the most bizarre drug side effects I’ve ever heard of.
HealthDay News reports that capecitabine – a widely used oral chemotherapy that curbs tumor growth in breast, colorectal, head, and neck cancers – may cause hand-foot syndrome. In this unusual side effect, inflammation sometimes causes peeling of the skin. And in some cases, fingerprints disappear.
Detective Olivia Benson, you can take it from here.
A letter in a recent Annals of Oncology provides a warning for doctors who prescribe capecitabine and patients who use the drug. Apparently, some patients have hit some snags with customs officials when trying to enter the U.S.
No surprise that in these tense times a lack of fingerprints at an international border crossing just might send up a big red flag.
Source:
“Fingerprints May Vanish With Cancer Drug” HealthDay News, 5/27/09, healthday.com
