Biopsy results for mole removal. Appointment will be with an advanced nurse practitioner in skin cancer. Does this mean it's bad news?

My partner had a mole removed a few weeks ago and he has been repeatedly contacted by the hospital saying he needs to come in for an appointment. It sounded really urgent and we’re quite nervous about what they’ll say. His appointment is with an advanced nurse practitioner in skin cancer. Does this mean it’s bad news? He is working away currently and they had to change it to a telephone appointment to suit him but I’d prefer to be there with him when he gets the results in case it’s not what we want to hear. 

  • Hi,

    I can understand the worry about your partner's results. It's difficult to say if the results are going to 'bad', I can only say what I & others I know have experienced. Many consultants prefer to give good & bad results face to face, especially if the mole wasn't melanoma but it was precancerous (known as dysplastic or atypical). If precancerous, they also like to check any other moles the patient has as there is a higher risk of another dysplastic mole or melanoma. These results & checks can be given by the specialist cancer nurse. They can also give results for early stage melanoma - Stage 0 or 1 - which means the melanoma has been caught early and, with  further surgery (a wide local excision), will be successfully treated. 

    I can understand you want to be with him when he gets the results but it's really better that he gets them quickly as, if he needs any further surgery, it can be arranged sooner. Does he have someone that can be with him when he receives the phone call? If so, he can put his phone on speaker and ask a friend to take notes of what has been said so he can refer back to them?

    Good luck to you both & please let us know how he gets on.

    Angie (Stage 3 melanoma patient since 2009)

  • Hi,

    Thank you for your response. I’m going to try and be on a teams call whilst he has the phone call so I can listen in. 

    I hope it’s okay. They wanted to see him ftf so I’m wondering why that would be. I will let you know how he gets on.

  • Hi there and thanks for posting

    I am sorry to hear your partner recently had a mole removed and is waiting to find out the results. Times like this are understandably worrying but until he hears from the specialist team involved, no one can say what has or hasn't been found.

    Try not to over think the situation until you have all the information about what this is and then go from there.

    Do ask if it is possible to have a 3 way telephone conversation so you can also be present when your partner is told the results.

    I hope everything works out okay for your partner but do get back in touch if you need to.

    Take care

    Naomi

  • My boyfriend has stage 1a melanoma. He needs WLE to ensure it’s all gone. He was told within 4 weeks he needs the surgery. He wanted it on the 4th week so he can mentally prepare etc. His parents want him to have the surgery sooner but he doesn’t want to. I spoke to dermatology and they said a week won’t make a difference and he’s still within the time frame for surgery. What is your opinion on this? It is only 4 days between the two surgery dates - the 8th or the 14th August but he would like to go on a break away with me for some mental wellness before the procedure and recovery. 

  • A few days extra wait for the Wide Local Excision really won't make a difference, especially as a 1a melanoma is very early stage & hasn't grown much already. Also remember, the melanoma has already been removed - the WLE is a belt & braces procedure to check the surrounding tissue. Most WLE's come back negative for any cancer cells, so your boyfriend should be fine going on his break. His parents are understandably worried but Dermatology are the experts so I'd take their advice & go on your break.

    Angie (Stage 3 melanoma patient since 2009)

  • Hello and thank you for posting.

    I am sorry to hear about what is going on with your boyfriend. His parents are probably concerned and want the surgery to happen as soon as it can, but how the melanoma is on the 8th is unlikely to be very different on the 14th.

    Being in the right frame of mind, mentally and emotionally, can also be helpful.

    Ultimately, it is his choice to make, but I do not expect a wait of 6 days to affect the overall outcome of your boyfriend's surgery.

    Take care, and hopefully he will decide what he wants to do soon. 

    Sarah.