One useful anti-cancer drug can
effectively erase the whorls and other characteristic marks that give people
their distinctive fingerprints (指纹). Losing them could become troublesome. A
case {{U}} {{U}} 1 {{/U}} {{/U}}online in a letter by Annals of
Oncology (肿瘤学) indicates how big a {{U}} {{U}} 2 {{/U}} {{/U}}of
losing fingerprints is. Eng-Huat Tan, a Singapore-based medical
doctor describes a 62-year old man who has used capecitabine to {{U}}
{{U}} 3 {{/U}} {{/U}}his nasopharyngeal cancer(鼻咽癌). After three
years on the {{U}} {{U}} 4 {{/U}} {{/U}}, the patient decided to
visit U. S. relatives last December. But he was stopped by U. S. customs
officials {{U}} {{U}} 5 {{/U}} {{/U}}4 hours after entering the
country when those officials couldn't get fingerprints from the man. There were
no {{U}} {{U}} 6 {{/U}} {{/U}}swirly marks appearing from his
index finger. U. S. customs has been fingerprinting incoming
foreign visitors for years, Tan says. Unfortunately, for the Singaporean
traveler, one potential {{U}} {{U}} 7 {{/U}} {{/U}}effect of his
drug treatment is a smoothing of the tissue on the finger pads. {{U}}
{{U}} 8 {{/U}} {{/U}},no fingerprints. "It is
uncertain when fingerprint {{U}} {{U}} 9 {{/U}} {{/U}}will begin
to take place in patients who are taking capecitabine," Tan points out. So he
{{U}} {{U}} 10 {{/U}} {{/U}}any physicians who prescribe the
drag to provide their patients with a doctor's {{U}} {{U}} 11
{{/U}} {{/U}}pointing out that their medicine may cause fingerprints to
disappear. Eventually, the Singapore traveler made it into the
United States. I guess the name on his passport didn't raise any red flags. But
he's also now got the explanatory doctor's note—and won't leave home {{U}}
{{U}} 12 {{/U}} {{/U}}it. By the way, maybe the
Food and Drug Administration (美国食品药物管理局), {{U}} {{U}} 13
{{/U}} {{/U}}approved use of the drug 11 years ago, should consider updating
its list of side effects {{U}} {{U}} 14 {{/U}} {{/U}}with this
medicine. The current list does note that patients may experience vomiting (呕吐),
stomach pain and some other side effects. But no where {{U}} {{U}}
15 {{/U}} {{/U}}it mention the potential for loss of
fingerprints.