Cancer Drug Erases Fingerprints – The cancer drug Xeloda erases fingerprints over time due to periodic swelling of the hands and feet causing the skin on fingertips to peel off repeatedly.
In a recent immigration mix-up, a cancer drug erased the fingerprints of Singapore man undergoing treatment for cancer and he was detained for four hours by U.S. immigration officials because his fingerprints had disappeared.
Foreign visitors undergo mandatory fingerprint screening when they enter the United States.
Now, the unidentified man’s oncologist is asking patients taking the commonly used drug, capecitabine, to carry a doctor’s note when they travel to the United States.
The oncologist, Eng-Huat Tan of the National Cancer Center in Singapore, described the encounter in a letter published in the current issue of the cancer journal Annals of Oncology.
The 62-year-old cancer patient, identified as Mr. S, eventually was allowed to enter the United States and visit relatives after officials determined he did not pose a security threat.
According to the oncologist, the patient had neck and head cancer that had spread. He responded well to chemotherapy.
To prevent a recurrence, doctors placed him on capecitabine, marketed in the United States as Xeloda.
One of the side effects of the cancer drug Xeloda is hand-foot syndrome. It causes the skin on the hands and feet to peel. With time, the drug can erase fingerprints.
“It is uncertain when the onset of fingerprint loss will take place in susceptible patients who are taking capecitabine,” the doctor wrote.
His patient started on the drug in July 2005.
“However, it is possible that there may be a growing number of such patients as Mr. S. … These patients should prepare adequately before traveling to avert the inconvenience that Mr. S was put through.”
And that’s the latest news on cancer drug erases fingerprints.
Tags: cancer, cancer drug, cancer drug erases fingerprints, capecitabine, fingerprints, hand foot syndrome, health, immigration, xeloda
October 18th, 2009 at 5:39 pm
Great! Now the terrorists have another way to hide their identities…