Cancer: Medical History

Medical history (history of illness) represents an important component in the diagnosis of tumor disease (cancers). Family history

  • Is there a history of tumor disease in your family?
  • What is the general health of your relatives?

Social history

  • What is your profession?
  • Are you exposed to harmful working substances in your profession?

Current medical history/systemic medical history (somatic and psychological complaints).

  • Have you lost weight unintentionally?
  • Do you feel tired or listless?
  • Have you noticed a drop in performance?
  • Have you noticed any dizziness or palpitations?
  • Do you have any new-onset visual disturbances? *
  • Do you have any new onset headaches?
  • Have you noticed any new onset seizures?
  • Do you have any neurologic disturbances such as paralysis, speech or coordination problems, or new-onset clumsiness? *
  • Have you noticed any personality changes? (this question is most likely to be answered by a family member).
  • Do you have long-lasting, chronic pain of unclear origin?
  • Do you have a fever? Do you have night sweats?
  • Do you have shortness of breath? *
  • Do you have enlargement of lymph nodes in the armpits, groin, or neck?
  • Have you noticed any changes in the goiter?
  • Do you suffer from loss of appetite? Do you have aversion to meat?
  • Do you have difficulty swallowing?
  • Have you noticed symptoms such as an irritating cough or fever?
  • Have you ever coughed up blood? *
  • Have you noticed persistent hoarseness or difficulty swallowing?
  • Have you noticed any changes in the stool such as blood accumulation?
  • Have your bowel habits changed?
  • Do you have increased intestinal cramps or abdominal pain?
  • Have you noticed any unusual and persistent changes in digestive habits?
    • Heartburn
    • Persistent feeling of pressure or fullness
    • Abdominal pain
    • Flatulence
    • Persistent belching or vomiting
  • Have you noticed any unusual discharges from the nose, mouth, intestines, or urethra?
  • Has there been any change in skin color or size of a mole?
  • Have you noticed any other changes in the skin such as: Liver spots and warts in terms of size, shape and color, also jaundice, blotchy red palms or liver asterisks (spider-like dilated veins in the skin).
  • Do you have a non-healing or poorly healing wound?
  • Have you noticed palpable swelling, induration, or lumps on the skin, mucosa, or soft tissues – often without pain sensation?
  • Have you recently experienced persistent itching?
  • Do you have urinary disorders or pain when urinating?
  • Have you noticed blood in the urine?

Ms.

  • At what age did you have your menarche (first period)?
  • At what age did you have your menopause (last menstrual period)?
  • Have you given birth to children? If so, how old were you at the time of the first birth?
  • Have you noticed any recent changes such as a lump/tenderness in the breast?
  • Have you had any discharge from the nipple (breast)?
  • Have you noticed any irregularities in your menstrual periods (frequency; bleeding between periods)?
  • Do you have bleeding after menopause?
  • Do you have brownish/bloody discharge from the vagina?
  • Have you noticed any bleeding after sexual intercourse?

Man

  • Do you have weak or interrupted urine flow?
  • Do you have difficulty at the beginning of urination?
  • Have you noticed any hardening or enlargement of a testicle?
  • Do you have blood in the seminal fluid?

Vegetative anamnesis including nutritional anamnesis.

  • Are you overweight? Please tell us your body weight (in kg) and height (in cm).
  • Do you eat meat and fat rich?
  • Do you eat smoked or cured foods?
  • How often do you eat fruits and vegetables per day?
  • Do you eat a diet high in fiber?
  • Do you drink alcohol regularly? If so, what drink(s) and how many glasses of it per day?
  • Do you smoke? If so, how many cigarettes, cigars or pipes per day?
  • Do you use drugs? If yes, what drugs and how often per day or per week?
  • Do you get enough exercise every day?
  • Do you love “sunbathing”? Did you “suffer” sunburns more often as a child?

Self-history

  • Pre-existing conditions (hemochromatosis (iron storage disease) – causes increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma).
  • Operations
  • Allergies

Medication history

  • According to the current state of science, oral contraceptives (“birth control pills”) increase the risk of developing breast cancer – not yet fully scientifically researched – by a factor of only 1.2 to 1.5 when taken for more than five years
  • Estrogen therapy – e.g. hormone replacement therapy for more than five years increases the risk of mammary carcinoma (breast cancer risk).
  • Testosterone therapy – promoter of a prostate carcinoma/prostate cancer (see carcinogenesis/cancer development).
  • “Iron overload” – Unbound free iron has a cytotoxic effect. Iron is also discussed as a prooxidant in connection with the development of cardiovascular diseases – such as diseases of the coronary vessels (coronary arteries) resulting in myocardial infarction (heart attack) – and neurodegenerative diseases – for example, Alzheimer’s disease or Parkinson’s disease – and as a promoter of tumor diseases. The underlying mechanism is thought to be that iron promotes oxidative stress via its key catalytic function in the formation of cytotoxic oxygen and hydroxyl radicals, for example in the course of Fenton and Haber-Weiss reactions. Individuals suffering from hemochromatosis (iron storage disease), for example, have an increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cell cancer). In addition, a study from the United States showed that elevated serum iron levels are associated with an increased risk of tumor disease.
  • Some cytostatic drugs (drugs that inhibit cell growth or cell division) increase the risk of a second tumor

Radiation exposure

  • Exposure to ionizing radiation
    • UV radiation – actinic keratosis (precancerous; risk factor for squamous cell carcinoma), squamous cell carcinoma of the skin, basal cell carcinoma (BCC; basal cell carcinoma; 10 times more common than malignant melanoma), malignant melanoma
    • X-ray or gamma radiation – bronchial carcinoma (lung cancer) (radon! ), breast carcinoma (breast cancer), leukemia (blood cancer), thyroid carcinoma (thyroid cancer).
  • Occurrence of malignant soft tissue tumors (sarcomas) after previous radiatio (radiotherapy).

Environmental exposure including workplace exposures

  • Carcinogens such as:
    • Asbestos – bronchial carcinoma (lung cancer), pleural mesothelioma (a malignant (malignant) tumor of the pleura, i.e., the pleura, arising from the mesothelial cells (celomic epithelium), peritoneal mesothelioma (a malignant (malignant) tumor of the peritoneum, i.e., the peritoneum, arising from the mesothelial cells (celomic epithelium)).
    • Arsenic – (skin, liver, lungs) – latency period 15-20 years.
    • Benzene – leukemia
    • Benzo(a)pyrene – found in exhaust fumes, smoke and tar. It is considered a risk factor for stomach cancer. Cigarette smoke also contains benzpyrene, which in turn can lead to bronchial carcinoma (lung cancer).
    • Cadmium – prostate cancer
    • Chromium (VI) compounds – liver tumors, unspecified.
    • Nickel – bronchial carcinoma and tumors of the internal nose and sinuses.
    • Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs; benzo(a)pyrene, benzanthracene, methylcholanthrene).
  • Inhalation of coal dust (miners) – bronchial carcinoma.
  • Contact with
    • Benzo(a)pyrene (1,2-benzpyrene) contained in soot (chimney sweep) – testicular carcinoma.
    • Lignite tar (lignite workers) – skin tumors.
    • Fuchsin – carcinoma of the urinary bladder
    • Halogenated ethers (“haloethers”), especially dichlorodimethyl ether – bronchial carcinoma (lung cancer).
    • Wood dust – tumors of the inner nose and sinuses.

* If this question has been answered with “Yes”, an immediate visit to the doctor is required!(data without guarantee)