Medical history (history of illness) is an important component in the diagnosis of laryngeal carcinoma (cancer of the larynx).
Family history
- Are there any tumor cases in your family that are common?
Social history
- What is your profession?
- Are you exposed to harmful working substances in your profession?
- Is there smoking in your environment, i.e. you are a passive smoker?
Current medical history/systemic history (somatic and psychological complaints).
- What symptoms have you noticed?
- Is there hoarseness? Shortness of breath or a feeling of pressure in the throat?
- Do you have a rough voice?
- Do you suffer from dysphagia
- Have you noticed any swelling of the lymph nodes?
- How long have the symptoms persisted?
Vegetative anamnesis including nutritional anamnesis.
- Have you unintentionally lost body weight?
- Do you smoke? If so, how many cigarettes, cigars or pipes per day?
- Do you drink alcohol? If yes, what drink(s) and how many glasses per day?
- Do you use drugs? If yes, what drugs and how often per day or per week?
Self history incl. medication history.
- Previous diseases (tumor diseases)
- Operations
- Allergies
Environmental history
- Occupational exposure to asbestos* or tar/bitumen.
- Ionizing radiation (e.g. uranium* ).
- Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), e.g. benzo(a)pyrene.
- Sulfur-containing aerosols, intensive and multi-year exposure (occupational disease list; BK list).
- Dusts – cement dust, wood dust.
* Recognized as an occupational disease
