Exam Overview

Your medical history can help your health professional find out what is causing your symptoms. Your health professional will ask you questions about:

• Your symptoms, such as shortness of breath, cough, bloody mucus or blood from the lungs (sputum), and wheezing.
• How long you have had your symptoms.
• Whether your symptoms are becoming worse.
• Any change in your appetite or a recent weight loss.
• Your use of tobacco.
• Your exposure to smoke from other people's smoking (secondhand smoke).
• Your contact with certain chemicals, such as asbestos, radioactive dust, or radon.
• Your work-related contact with fumes and dust (for example, you might be exposed to dust on the job if you work in the mining industry).
• Any respiratory problems you had when you were a child.
• Your family history of respiratory problems and/or cancer.
• Other medical conditions you may have.

During the physical exam, your health professional will examine your body to help find the cause of your symptoms. Your health professional may:

• Take your temperature and weight to check for a fever or weight loss.
• Examine your ears, eyes, nose, and throat for signs of infection.
• Listen to your heart and lungs with a stethoscope. He or she will listen for abnormal air movement through your lungs that may indicate pneumonia or other respiratory problems.
• Examine your chest for areas of pain in your ribs or muscles.
• Press or tap on your belly (abdominal palpation) to check for pain, fluid buildup, or an enlarged liver.
• Examine your neck, armpits, groin, and other areas of your body to check for enlarged lymph nodes.

Laboratory tests may also be part of your physical exam for lung cancer. Laboratory tests may include a complete blood count (CBC), a routine chemistry screen, and a chest X-ray.