BACKGROUND: Capecitabine is an oral antineoplastic agent classified as a pyrimidin analogue. It is widely used in different types of cancers. Unfortunately, it does not come without a cost, as the drug may have adverse effects - largely diarrhea, but also hand -foot syndrome and loss of fingerprints in extreme cases. CASE: We report a case of a 47-year-old male, which had been diagnosed with metastatic rectal cancer and received capecitabine, developing a severe hand foot syndrome which led him to lose his fingerprints in spite of complete resolution of the syndrome after stoppage of the drug. CONCLUSION: This case highlights a rare condition that, even though not precisely a disease per se, may hinder patients quality of life and must be recognised by the treating physician as an treatment related side effect.
BACKGROUND:Capecitabine is an oral antineoplastic agent classified as a pyrimidin analogue. It is widely used in different types of cancers. Unfortunately, it does not come without a cost, as the drug may have adverse effects - largely diarrhea, but also hand -foot syndrome and loss of fingerprints in extreme cases. CASE: We report a case of a 47-year-old male, which had been diagnosed with metastatic rectal cancer and received capecitabine, developing a severe hand foot syndrome which led him to lose his fingerprints in spite of complete resolution of the syndrome after stoppage of the drug. CONCLUSION: This case highlights a rare condition that, even though not precisely a disease per se, may hinder patients quality of life and must be recognised by the treating physician as an treatment related side effect.