Question

Which of the following anticancer drugs produces hand-foot syndrome?

• A. Methotrexate
• B. Capecitabine
• C. Vincristine
• D. Doxorubicin

Hint:

Hand-foot syndrome is a distinctive dermatological toxicity of capecitabine and some other fluoropyrimidines; early recognition helps in effective management and dose modification.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

The question wants the chemotherapy drug that specifically damages skin on the palms and soles, known as hand-foot syndrome.

1. Methotrexate: Mainly harms rapidly dividing cells in the bone marrow and gut lining, not the skin of the hands and feet.
2. Capecitabine: Converts into 5-fluorouracil in the body, and this metabolite accumulates in sweat glands concentrated on the palms and soles, damaging the skin there and producing the classic redness, swelling, and peeling of hand-foot syndrome.
3. Vincristine: Its major toxicity is nerve damage, showing up as tingling, numbness, or weakness, not skin peeling on the extremities.
4. Doxorubicin: Best known for weakening the heart muscle over cumulative doses and for severe tissue injury if it escapes the vein during an infusion.

The drug metabolism pathway that concentrates in the palms and soles points to one option.

So the correct answer is Capecitabine.