A strange-sounding question about your thumbs and toes

[beth568]

Hi everyone - I've been quite scarce here, though I do tend to check in and read to see how people are doing. I work hard not to let thoughts of cancer dominate my life, and after some rough times found that I was better off staying on the sidelines. Doesn't mean that I don't think about my friends here all the time, though.

OK, so here's a question that will probably seem weird. Do any of you have brachydactyly, commonly known as "clubbed" thumbs or big toes? It means that your thumbs/toes are shorter and wider than "normal," and some people affectionately call their clubbed thumbs "toe thumbs." If you Google "Megan Fox thumb" you'll get some images, because apparently her weird thumb has caused a fuss.

The reason I'm asking this is because I randomly stumbled across a message board on a Chron's disease support site in which many people with Chron's were talking about their wonky thumbs. Some docs think that there may be a link between the genetic mutation that causes the big thumbs and the gastrointestinal disorder.

Which led me to think, hmm...not such a stretch to think there might be a relationship between the thumbs and colorectal cancer. Because people have been teasing me (in a friendly way) my whole life about my Fred Flintstone thumbs/toes. My other digits are normal, but these guys are stubby and unusually wide. I've been digging around a little and found at least one scientific paper that noted an association between familial CRC and brachydactyly, though it appeared to have been an examination of just one extended family with both conditions. I want to ask my onc and genetic counselor about this, and so I'm curious whether anyone else here has this little quirk. Anyone?

[janklo]

Interesting question Beth. I have never heard of "brachydactyly" but Lauren had "arachnadactaly" which is where one's fingers and toes are really long and slender. Our doctor told us she had that in probably the middle school years. She could spread her fingers really far out. I don't know if there is any connection to that and colon issues.

[kiwiinoz]

I always thought clubbed fingers were linked to lung cancer, bil had them and docs kept telling him to stop smoking as it was a possible precursor to lung cancer
Not heard of a link to CRC but if worried get a colonoscopy for yourself

[NWgirl]

My husband has clubbed fingers/toes. A nurse told us once it was probably because he was born premature and had to be on oxygen; I have no idea if that's true or not. He may well end up with lung cancer, but due to his smoking - not anything genetic. I know he doesn't have colon cancer (at least not at the moment); because he was scoped last year.

My fingers are perfectly normal as were my fathers (who had colon cancer).

[aartist]

I have club thumbs and no one else in the family does. My toes are not club though.

[michelle c]

Not me. In fact, my thumbs are very slender - shame I can't say that about the rest of me

Nice to hear from you Beth!

[jnfrmbrwn]

I don't, but my grandmother does! Colon cancer runs strongly on her side of the family as well.

[Kathryn in MN]

I have very long & skinny fingers and toes - and they are double-jointed.

[douglassims]

need more research on this but I also suspect that clubbed thumbs have a slight relation to development on cancer.

[Ashlee H.]

My toes and fingers are normal.