Hi Harry

If you can access private healthcare and get you treatment sooner do it. It will be money well spent, even though BCC are slow growing 6 months can make a lot of difference to the size of scar you will be left with. Meanwhile protect your skin against further occurrences by using SPF 50 suncream on exposed skin, stay out of strong sunshine, wear a hat.

Ed

Hello and thank you for your recent post. I am sorry to learn that you have been diagnosed with Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC).

If cancer is suspected then a person will be referred by their GP to the hospital urgently on the faster diagnosis pathway to be diagnosed within 28 days and expected to start treatment within 62 days of the hospital receiving the GP referral.

However, with BCC, the guidelines are different. You would normally, have a non-urgent referral to a specialist and may have to wait up to a few months to be seen. This is because this cancer usually takes years to develop in most people, also it does not spread, so waiting a few months is unlikely to cause any harm. In this situation, you would not expect to start treatment urgently within 62 days.  However in some cases, if the GP thinks the BCC could cause problems if left untreated because of its size or position, then you would have an urgent referral, and then the aim to start treatment might be within the 62-day guidelines. We have more information about  referral to a skin specialist on our website.

I was unsure if you have been diagnosed by your GP or a skin specialist, but if you are concerned about the length of time you are waiting to have treatment, do tell them your concerns, as they know your situation they would be able to advise you better and give you more reassurance. Some people choose to have private treatment. 

I hope this helps. Please get back to us if you need any more information or support.  You may find it helpful to talk things through with one of the nurses on our helpline.  The number to call is Freephone 0808 800 4040 and the lines are open from 9am till 5pm Monday to Friday.

Yours sincerely,

Vanda

Many thanks Vanda for this informative reply, it really has helped and I feel reassured regarding the timescale and assessment my GP has made.

The lesion is around 8-10mm and on the side of my neck below my ear, which he did mention was a good place with flexible skin to support a successful removal.

Thank you again.