Can a Stubbed or Otherwise Injured Toe Lead to Cancer?

About a month ago I was cleaning out my kitchen sink and while holding the metal strainer, it slipped out of my hand and freakishly, the sharp round edge landed perfectly on my big toe. There was blood all over the place and now I’ve got a nice black mark on my big toe.

My sisters and I all went together to get pedicures last weekend and my little sister Beth started to freak out when she saw my toe and kept telling me that I needed to go see a doctor because a stubbed toe or any toe type problem where there's been bleeding can lead to cancer.

I told my sister she was being ridiculous, but it’s been in the back of my mind this entire week, so I decided to get to the bottom of it.  Can a stubbed or otherwise injured toe lead to cancer?

I spoke to my doctor and she told me (off the record) that I have absolutely nothing to worry about. Whew!

However, I learned something really interesting and it could actually save your life.  According to WebMD, when you see a black spot on your finger(s) or toe(s), you should keep an eye on it.  That spot is usually a result of something called a subungual hematoma. A subungual hematoma is a condition where there is bleeding under the fingernail or toenail. And it’s usually caused by a crush injury and blood collects under the nail.

Now, unless there are broken bones or damage to the nail bed/or surrounding tissues, this really isn’t anything to worry about.  BUT…there’s always a but- in some cases, a tumor under the nail can cause a darkened area that looks like a subungual hematoma.  So, if you’ve got a dark area under a nail and didn’t slam your finger in a door, hit your finger with a heavy object, stub your toe or drop something really heavy on your toe and you’ve got a pooling of blood, you might want to schedule an appointment with your doctor.

If there’s been trauma to the nail, the spot will grow out with the nail if it is a subungual hematoma. It will stay in the same spot under the nail if it is a tumor. And tumors are nothing to play around with.

[WebMD]