Public Health

A man developed painful swelling in his right middle finger and right big toe over the course of six weeks, causing the digits to take on a club-like shape. It turned out that the strange swelling was a rare sign of cancer that had spread through his body.

Prior to developing the swelling, the 55-year-old had been diagnosed with metastatic squamous-cell lung cancer, according to a report of the case published July 16 in The New England Journal of Medicine. This type of cancer starts in the flat, thin cells that line the airways, and in this case, the cancer had reached an advanced stage and spread, or metastasized, to other parts of the body.

After noting the swelling in his finger and toe, the man reported to the hospital for examination. Doctors found that the tip of each affected digit was red and swollen. They also noted that an ulcer was forming near the nail of the affected toe. The swollen areas were firm to the touch and tender, the doctors reported.