Dr Richard Stratton, a consultant at the Royal Free in London, claims that thickening of the palms can be an indication of underlying malignancy – in particular, ovarian tumours.
Palms aid diagnosis of cancer
This palmar fasciitis or fibrosis – where the tissue on the palms feels hard, almost wooden – sometimes occurs in conjunction with polyarthritis (where multiple joints become arthritic). The syndrome appears to be more commonly associated with ovarian cancer – which is often difficult to detect in its early stages. The research was published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine.
