Targeted therapy has improved outcomes for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, but paronychia, a common side effect, remains problematic. Conservative treatments for paronychia have been studied, but surgical partial matricectomy (SPM) efficacy is less well-known. This study evaluated SPM's effect on targeted therapy-induced paronychia in NSCLC patients.
Eleven patients with 18 paronychia lesions on big toes were included in this retrospective cohort study. Data on lung cancer stages, types and duration of targeted therapy, paronychia onset, pain scale scores, conservative treatments, matricectomy procedure, paronychia-free interval after matricectomy, and wound condition were collected from medical records.
The mean pain scale score after SPM was significantly lower than that after conservative treatments (1.00 ± 0.00 vs 2.94 ± 0.87; P < .001) and before treatment (1.00 ± 0.00 vs 3.06 ± 0.80; P < .001). The mean duration of SPM was significantly shorter than that of conservative treatments (3.22 ± 1.00 vs 56.56 ± 52.29 weeks; P < .001).
SPM is an effective and long-lasting treatment for targeted therapy-induced paronychia. It provides a shorter treatment duration, reduced pain, and improved wound appearance. Additionally, SPM may improve quality of life during targeted therapy compared to conservative treatments.

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