Mycosis Fungoides: 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).
    • Examination of the entire skin![Eczema (skin inflammation); erythroderma (extensive skin redness); solitary standing or cushion-like confluent nodules; yellowish-brownish non-infiltrated foci; indurated palpable; livid-reddish nodules or plaques (“plate-like” substance proliferation of the skin rising above the skin level)]
    • Abdomen (abdomen)
      • Shape of the abdomen?
      • Skin color? Skin texture?
      • Efflorescences (skin changes)?
      • Pulsations? Bowel movements?
      • Visible vessels?
      • Scars? Hernias (fractures)?
  • Inspection and palpation of lymph node stations [painless lymphadenopathy].
  • Examination of the abdomen (belly)
    • Percussion (tapping) of the abdomen
      • Attenuation of the tapping sound due to enlarged liver or spleen, tumor.
      • Hepatomegaly (liver enlargement) and/or splenomegaly (spleen enlargement): estimation of liver and spleen size.
    • Palpation (palpation) of the abdomen (abdomen) (tenderness?, knocking pain?, coughing pain?, defensive tension?, hernial orifices?, kidney bearing knocking pain?).
• Cancer prevention
• Health check (as an additional follow-up measure).

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