How long?

In December 2020 by Dad noticed a lump growing on his neck. He went to the doctor and had a fast referral to have a biopsy. Within two weeks the biopsy was completed. He didn't hear back for another 4 weeks, only to be told it was inconclusive. Then within a week he had another biopsy done and his diagnosis of skin cancer which had spread to the lymphnode in his neck.

He then had a few different scans which showed he had a suspicious lesion on his brain.

It was then 2 months from diagnosis until they removed the melanoma in his neck by which point it had burst.
It has been a further 7 weeks since then and his next course of treatment still hasnt started and they haven't even done any more scans to make sure it hasnt spread further.

My question is, does is normaly take this long? He has oncology appointment but it just feels like he comes out of them with no real timeline in place for his next set of treatment. 

  • Hello Scared_daughter, 

    I am so sorry to hear about all these delays and the length of time it took from diagnosis for the melanoma in his neck to be removed. It may be that as it all started this winter at the peak of the coronavirus outbreak that the process took a bit longer than it would normally have. This is something you could ask the specialists when he has his oncology appointment - they will be able to tell you more about this timeframe and whether it should have taken this long.  You could also ask them whether they could give you more details about the timeline that will be in place for his next set of treatment and also check whether additional scans will be offered to him. Hopefully they will have more clarity on this by now and will be able to tell you more about what to expect. 

    I hope that you will also hear from our other members here who have recently had a similar diagnosis and that they will share their experience with you and tell you more about how long things took for them.

    Wishing your dad the very best of luck for his treatment. 

    Best wishes, 

    Lucie, Cancer Chat Moderator