Key Words. Capecitabine • Palmar–plantar erythrodysesthesia • Fingerprint loss • Hand–foot syndrome

Hand–foot syndrome (HFS) is a common adverse reac-tion to several chemotherapy drugs. Focus has been on the clinically relevant sequelae associated with this condition, with fingerprint loss receiving little attention. We report the case of a 53-year old male patient with ter-minal metastatic adenocarcinoma of the rectum involv-ing the liver and lungs who developed grade 3 HFS while on capecitabine therapy. This resulted in his inability to process required government papers as a result of the loss of his fingerprints, imposing significant inconve-nience and frustration on a person severely challenged by his deteriorating health. We believe clinicians should pay more attention to this possible outcome that can add additional stress in the lives of patients whose quality of life is already severely compromised. The Oncologist 2012; 17:291–29