The Case of the Disappearing Fingerprints One useful anti-cancer drug can effectively erase the whorls and other characteristic marks that give people their distinctive fingerprints.Losing them could become troublesome.A case _________online in a letter by Annals of Oncologyindicates how big a________of losing fingerprints is. Eng-Huat Tan,a Singapore-based medical doctor describes a 62-year-old man who has used capecitabine to________his nasopharyngeal cancer.After three years on the_______,the patient decided to visit U.S.relatives last December.But he was stopped by U.S.customs officials________4 hours after entering the country when those officials couldnt get fingerprints from the man.There were no_______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_________effect of his drug treatment is a smoothing of the tissue on the finger pads._________,no fingerprints. It is uncertain when fingerprint___________will begin to take place in patients who are taking capecitabine,Tan points out.So he__________any physicians who prescribe the drug to provide their patients with a doctorS___________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 didnt raise any red flags. But heS also now got the explanatory doctors note-and wont leave home_______it. |