Physical Exam
A thorough history and physical exam is an important part of your
visit to an oncologist. Such
factors as cancer history, race, age, and sex contribute to the final
diagnosis and development of a treatment strategy. Your physical
appearance will give the physician a sense of the overall health of
the liver. Yellowing of the skin and/or eyes is called jaundice, a
condition that occurs when there is a build up of bile in the
bloodstream caused by a malfunctioning liver, bile duct or gall
bladder. This may also cause dark colored urine and clay colored bowel
movements.
Your liver will be examined by feeling the right upper quadrant of
your abdomen. This examination is usually done while your are lying on
your back and relaxed. The physician begins in the lower region moving
in an upward position feeling for the overall shape and firmness of
your liver. The size of your liver can be estimated by percussion
(placing one finger on your rib cage and tapping it with another
finger), which uses sound as a determinate. You will also be examined
for the presence of ascites (fluid that accumulates in the
abdomen).
Your exam will also include an assessment of your axillary (armpit)
and supraclavicular (above the collarbone) lymph nodes to determine if
they are enlarged, which could indicate involvement with cancer.
If you have had cancer previously, the primary site (i.e. colon,
rectum, breast) of the cancer will be evaluated to determine if the
disease has recurred.
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