Lump : History

Lump: History

1.       Mode of onset

·         spontaneously

·         following trauma

2.       Duration

3.       Site of onset

4.       Progress of swelling:

•          Static: no increase in size

•          Gradually increasing in size since beginning (usually benign swelling)

•          Rapidly increasing in size since beginning (usually malignant)

•          Initially slowly increasing in size, later started rapidly increasing(benign swelling turning malignant)

5.       Size of the swelling at onset

·         Better to describe the approximate size of the swelling in cm than comparing with common objects

6.       Pain over the swelling

·         Duration of pain

·         Site of pain

·         character of pain

·         Any movement of pain

·         Periodicity of pain

7.       Any other swelling in the body

8.       Secondary changes over the swelling, e. g. ulceration

9.       In suspected malignant disease symptoms suggestive of metastasis

·         Chest pain, cough, hemoptysis,

·         Bone pain,

·         Headache, vomiting, convulsion,

·         Pain abdomen, abdominal distension and jaundice

·         loss of appetite, loss of weight

10.   Any history of previous excision of the swelling and recurrence

11.   History of similar swelling in the past

12.   Any history of tuberculosis