Colorectal Cancer (Colon Carcinoma): Examination

A comprehensive clinical examination is the basis for selecting further diagnostic steps:

• General physical examination – including blood pressure, pulse, body weight, height; further:
  • Inspection (viewing).
    • Skin and mucous membranes
    • Abdomen (abdomen)
      • Shape of the abdomen?
      • Skin color? Skin texture?
      • Efflorescences (skin changes)?
      • Pulsations? Bowel movements?
      • Visible vessels?
      • Scars? Hernias (fractures)?
  • Auscultation (listening) of the heart.
  • Auscultation of the lungs
  • Examination of the abdomen (belly)
    • Percussion (tapping) of the abdomen
      • Attenuation of tapping sound due to enlarged liver or spleen, tumor, urinary retention?
      • Hepatomegaly (liver enlargement)) and/or splenomegaly (spleen enlargement): estimate liver and spleen size.
    • Palpation of abdomen, etc. (tenderness?, palpation?, cough pain?, guarding?, hernial orifices?, renal bearing palpation?).
  • Digital rectal examination (DRU): examination of the rectum (rectum) and adjacent organs with the finger by palpation [if necessary pencil chair in rectal cancer / rectal cancer; due todifferential diagnosis: hemorrhoids].
• If necessary, a gynecological examination may be useful.
• Health check (as an additional follow-up measure).

Square brackets [ ] indicate possible pathological (pathological) physical findings.