The Case of theDisappearing Fingerprints

One usefulanti-cancer drug can effectively erase the whorls and other characteristicmarks that give people their distinctive fingerprints. Losing______(51)couldbecome

troublesome. A casereleased online in a letter by Annals of Oncology indicates how big a______(52)oflosing fingerprints is.

Eng-Huat Tan,aSingapore-based medical doctor describes a 62-year old man who has usedcapecitabine to______(53)his nasopharyngeal cancer. After three years on

the______(54),thepatient decided to visit U.S.relatives last December. But he was stopped by U.S. customs officials______(55)4hours after entering the country when those

officials couldn'tget fingerprints from the man.There were no distinctiveswirly______(56)appearing from his in-dex finger.

U.S.customs has beenfingerprinting incoming foreign visitors for years,Tan says.Their in-dexfingers are______(57)and screened against digital files of the fingerprints of

bad guys-terroristsand potential criminals that our federal guardians have been tasked withkeeping mit of the country. Unfortunately,for the Singaporean travelers,one

potential______(58)effectof his drug treatment is a smoothing of the tissue on the fingerpads.______(59),no finger- pnnts.

"It isuncertain when fingerprint loss will______(60)to take place in patients who aretaking capecitabine,"Tan points out. So he cautions any physicianswho______(61)the

drug to providetheir patients with a doctor's note pointing out that their medicine may causefingerprints to disappear.

Eventually,the Singapore travelermade it into the United States.I guess the name on his passport didn't raiseany red flags.But he's also now got the explanatory doctor's note-

and won't leavehome______(62)it.

By the way,maybe theFood and Drug Administration,______(63)approved use of the drug 11 yearsago,should consider______(64)its list of side effects associated with this

medi-cine.Thecurrent list does note that patients may experience vomiting,stomach pain andsome other side effects.But no where______(65)it mention the potential for loss

of fingerprints.

58._________

A.. normal

B. good

C. main

D. side