Home > Clinical Concepts In Radiation Oncology > Patient Evaluation > Physical Examination
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Physical examination is the method to find the cancer by the victim itself before it gets severe. However, all the cancer cannot identify with the help of physical examination, only some we can identify it such as lung, breast, etc. here briefly explained about the lung and breast cancer.
Physical examination of Lung cancer:
During the physical exam, the health professional will examine the body to help find the cause of the symptoms. Health professional may
Take your temperature and weight to check for a fever or weight loss.
Examine your ears, eyes, nose, and throat for signs of infection.
Listen to your heart and lungs with a stethoscope. He or she will listen for abnormal air movement through your lungs that may indicate pneumonia or other respiratory problems.
Examine your chest for areas of pain in your ribs or muscles.
Press or tap on your belly (abdominal palpation) to check for pain, fluid build-up, or an enlarged liver.
Examine your neck, armpits, groin, and other areas of your body to check for enlarged lymph nodes.
Physical examination of breast cancer:
In breast cases two ways are there to find the cancer one if they doesn’t know how to examine herself means she can go for consultants or by examining the below mentioned steps to identify it.
Step 1: Begin by looking at your breasts in the mirror with your shoulders straight and your arms on your hips.
Here's what you should look for:
Breasts that are their usual size, shape, and color
Breasts that are evenly shaped without visible distortion or swelling
If you see any of the following changes, bring them to your doctor's attention:
Dimpling, puckering, or bulging of the skin
A nipple that has changed position or an inverted nipple (pushed inward instead of sticking out)
Redness, soreness, rash, or swelling
Step 2: Now, raise your arms and look for the same changes.
Step 3: While you're at the mirror, look for any signs of fluid coming out of one or both nipples (this could be a watery, milky, or yellow fluid or blood).
Step 4: Next, feel your breasts while lying down, using your right hand to feel your left breast and then your left hand to feel your right breast. Use a firm, smooth touch with the first few finger pads of your hand, keeping the fingers flat and together. Use a circular motion, about the size of a quarter.
Cover the entire breast from top to bottom, side to side — from your collarbone to the top of your abdomen, and from your armpit to your cleavage.
Follow a pattern to be sure that you cover the whole breast. You can begin at the nipple, moving in larger and larger circles until you reach the outer edge of the breast. You can also move your fingers up and down vertically, in rows, as if you were mowing a lawn. This up-and-down approach seems to work best for most women. Be sure to feel all the tissue from the front to the back of your breasts: for the skin and tissue just beneath, use light pressure; use medium pressure for tissue in the middle of your breasts; use firm pressure for the deep tissue in the back. When you've reached the deep tissue, you should be able to feel down to your ribcage.
Step 5: Finally, feel your breasts while you are standing or sitting. Many women find that the easiest way to feel their breasts is when their skin is wet and slippery, so they like to do this step in the shower. Cover your entire breast, using the same hand movements described in Step 4.
Questions:
1. How many months one the physical examination for the breast needs to be done?
a) 2 months
b) 1 month
c) 3 months
d) 4 months
Answer:
b) 1 month
References:
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