Hand-Foot Syndrome - Medtick
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Hand-Foot Syndrome

What is it?

A side effect of some chemotherapy drugs that results when a small amount of drug leaks out of the blood vessels, damaging tissues.

  • This tends to happen in the blood vessels of hands and the sole of the feet because of the increased friction and heat that your extremities are exposed to through daily activities and hence these cause capillaries to leak medication to the surrounding tissue.

Cause

  • Capillary leakage due to:
    • Hot water (washing dishes, long showers, hot baths)
    • Impact on your feet (jogging, aerobics, walking, jumping)
    • Using tools that require you to squeeze your hand on a hard surface (garden tools, household tools, kitchen knives)
    • Rubbing (applying lotion, massaging)

Medication

  • Capecitabine (Xeloda®)
  • Cytarabine (Cytosar-U®)
  • Floxuridine (FUDR®)
  • Fluorouracil (5-FU)
  • Idarubicin (Idamycin®)
  • Liposomal doxorubicin (Doxil®)

Symptoms

  • Tingling or burning of the hands and/or soles of the feet?
  • Redness of the hands and/ or soles of the feet?
  • Flaking of the hands and/ or soles of the feet?
  • Swelling of the hands and/ or soles of the feet?
  • Small blisters of the hands and/ or soles of the feet?
  • Small sores on the palms of the hands and/or soles of the feet?

Complications /Information to beware of/General tips:

General tips and Medication treatment

For relief of symptoms associated with hand-foot syndrome, try the following:

  • Cool with ice packs for 15-20 minutes at a time
  • Elevate hands and feet
  • Apply antibiotic ointment on open sores
  • Apply moisturizers sparingly
  • Avoid constrictive clothing

www.texasoncology.com

This condition may show similar symptoms to:

Please talk to your healthcare professional (i.e. Medical Doctor/Pharmacist) for further advice

Detailed Information

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