In the United States, a woman contracted the human papillomavirus (HPV) because of a cut on her fingernail during a manicure. This infection led to the occurrence of skin cancer.
- Squamous cell carcinoma is the second most common skin cancer.
- If it has spread, drugs, called “PD-1 inhibitors”, may be given.
A manicure gone wrong. In California, 50-year-old Grace Garcia is used to having her nails done in institutes. In November 2021, she goes to a new living room. “The nail technician cut me in the cuticle of my right ring finger. She cut me deeply and this is one of the first times that this has happened to me. (…) She probably used the tool for a previous manicure. I have no idea”said, to the media Todaythe 50-year-old.
Back home, the client realizes that a ball has formed at the level of her cuticle. “It looked like a wart.” The American decides to apply an antibiotic ointment to the wound. After a few days, the latter has not healed. She returns to the living room to alert them and consults a doctor. The practitioner then told him that it was a simple “ball of writing”. Five months after the nail cut, Grace Garcia showed the lesion to her gynecologist during a consultation, who referred her to a dermatologist.
Skin cancer: “a wound that has become the gateway” to the papillomavirus
After performing a biopsy, she learns that she has squamous cell carcinoma. It is a malignant tumor that originates in the squamous cells of the skin. According to her doctor, this skin cancer was caused by a human papillomavirus infection.
“It’s quite rare for several reasons. In general, strains that cause cancer from an HPV perspective tend to be more sexually transmitted. In Grace’s case, she had an injury, which became the door So that thick skin that we have on our hands and feet that acts as a natural barrier against infections was no longer doing its job, and the virus was able to infect his skin,” explained dermatologist Teo Soleymani.
The earlier the cancer is diagnosed, the better the chances of recovery
According to the specialist, Grace Garcia’s perseverance saved her from losing a finger. She was diagnosed with stage 1 cancer. “Your results are entirely dictated by how early you get them, and very often cancers are completely curable. Thanks to her tenacity, she was able to have a great result,” said the dermatologist.
