What is the clinical evidence from this study?

Study design: Cross-Sectional. Population: Cancer (n=135). Intervention: Capecitabine. Primary outcome: Prevalence of capecitabine-induced hand-foot syndrome.

What question did this study set out to answer?

This research aims to investigate the prevalence and factors associated with capecitabine-induced hand-foot syndrome (HFS) in cancer patients.

April 5, 2026Open Access

Prevalence, Clinical Characteristics, and Factors Associated with Capecitabine-Induced Hand–Foot Syndrome in Patients with Cancer: Evidence from Sudan

Key Result

Capecitabine-induced hand-foot syndrome affected 54.8% of patients, with female sex (aOR 0.224) and 4-6 chemotherapy cycles (aOR 0.359) independently predicting lower risk.

Key Points

This research aims to investigate the prevalence and factors associated with capecitabine-induced hand-foot syndrome (HFS) in cancer patients.
Analyzed patient data from Sudan
Examined clinical characteristics of those with hand-foot syndrome
Identified demographic factors influencing the occurrence of HFS
More than half of the patients experienced hand-foot syndrome
Early onset of symptoms was common
Female patients and those undergoing 4-6 chemotherapy cycles had a lower incidence of HFS
Absence of other diseases increased the likelihood of developing HFS

Study Design

Type

Cross-Sectional (n=135)

Multicenter

Structured PICO

Population

135 adult patients with cancer receiving capecitabine monotherapy at Khartoum Oncology Hospital, Sudan. 66.7% female, 38.5% aged 56-70 years. Key inclusion: adult patients (≥18 years) with confirmed cancer diagnosis receiving capecitabine monotherapy.

Intervention

Capecitabine monotherapy

Outcome

Prevalence, clinical characteristics, and factors associated with capecitabine-induced hand-foot syndrome (HFS)safety

Capecitabine-induced hand-foot syndrome affects over half of Sudanese cancer patients on monotherapy, with female sex and 4-6 treatment cycles inversely associated with its development after adjustment.

Limitations

Cross-sectional design precludes establishing temporal relationships and causal inference.
Exclusion of patients receiving combination chemotherapy may have led to an underestimation of the overall burden of HFS.
Small number of patients in certain cancer subgroups and comorbid disease types limited subgroup-specific analysis.
Sample size calculation was based on a conservative estimated prevalence due to the absence of local epidemiological data.
Important potential risk factors (capecitabine dose, body surface area, body mass index, renal function, serum albumin) were not consistently available in medical records.

Abstract

Capecitabine-induced HFS affects more than half of patients and generally occurs early in onset. After adjustment, female patients and those who received 4-6 chemotherapy cycles were less likely to experience HFS, whereas the absence of concomitant diseases was associated with a greater likelihood of developing HFS. Early monitoring and proactive supportive care remain essential to optimize treatment continuity.

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