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Mesothelioma is a cancer caused by exposure to certain carcinogens, namely asbestos. The disease can present a wide range of side effects, including finger, or digital, clubbing. Finger clubbing refers to certain changes in the appearance of one’s fingernails or toenails, such as increasing the roundness of the nails, the change in the curvature and angle of the nail, softening of the nail bed, and the enlarging of the finger and toe tips.

Digital clubbing is classified in five grades:[1]

  • Grade 1: Softening and/or fluctuation of the nail bed
  • Grade 2: Increase in the angle between the nail bed and the proximal nail fold (the skin at the base of the nail, below the luna)
  • Grade 3: Accentuated outward curve of the nail
  • Grade 4: Fingertip or toe tip looks swollen or “clubbed”
  • Grade 5: Nail and surrounding skin becomes shiny or glossy, with longitudinal striations

According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, clubbed fingers are most often caused by diseases that cause malabsorption or chronically low blood oxygen levels.[2] Some of the most common diseases leading to clubbed fingers are celiac disease, cystic fibrosis, heart diseases, and lung diseases, including mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.

One study from 1998 evaluated men who had one of three asbestos-related diseases: mesothelioma, diffuse pleural fibrosis (malignant thick scarring), and pleural plaque alone (benign scarring). What the study found was that finger clubbing was more prevalent in malignant cases than benign cases, at 30% and 14%, respectively. However, the researchers ceded that the simple presence of finger clubbing is not a sure sign of asbestos-related illnesses.[3]

Because mesothelioma is a respiratory disease, it can cause the oxygen levels in the blood to decrease, causing clubbing. Unfortunately, digital clubbing cannot be treated. Instead, the underlying cause of the clubbing must be treated for this symptom to be resolved.[4]

In many cases of clubbing, this isn’t an issue. However, for mesothelioma-related clubbing, the underlying cause can’t easily be treated. In some cases, surgery can eliminate mesothelioma, but based on how mesothelioma spreads and the stage of the cancer, this may not be an option.[5] At the very least, many of the symptoms of mesothelioma can be treated, but not cured. Digital clubbing may be one of the symptoms treatable by a healthcare professional.

[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3519022/

[2] https://medlineplus.gov/ency/imagepages/18127.htm

[3] https://www.resmedjournal.com/article/S0954-6111(98)90519-4/pdf

[4] https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003282.htm

[5] https://www.cancer.org/cancer/malignant-mesothelioma/treating/by-extent.html