Hi,

Please could I ask a question about your removal? I had a Dermatology appointment yesterday and he briefly pressed the dermascope on my mole and said it was fine and to go. I still feel really unconvinced as both my GP and Nurse Practitioner thought mine was melanoma as it hit the ABCs but Dermatologist said it didn't and seemed very disinterested and I was in my appointment for all of 4 minutes!

I can understand your anxiety. I'm not a doctor so obviously can't really comment on your specific case. 

I know what you mean about how fast they examine, you could ring the dermatology dept and ask for an explaination. Or go and discuss with the GP.

In my case the dermatologists were concerned enough to remove it, but didn't think it was likely to be melanoma, so slightly different scenario.

Keep a good record of it with pictures and a ruler, if you see any visual changes go straight back. 

Hi Panda,

I'm sorry to hear about your diagnosis & the waiting you have endured & still having to endure. The good thing is that it's been completely removed now. The Wide Local Excision is a belt & braces procedure, just to ensure there isn't a stray cell sitting in the surrounding tissue - most melanoma patients get clear WLE results. The SLNB is merely a diagnostic procedure so that they ensure they stage you correctly. 

The delay that you have had for the removal probably won't have caused it to spread in that period unless you have been told it's aggressive, in which case there is a higher chance of spread. However, if it was aggressive, they wouldn't have you waiting this long between procedures. It's good that you know your BRAF status - this is important should you progress and need adjuvant drug treatment. Being BRAF + means you have more options (targeted and/or immunotherapy).

I will send you a friend request so we can chat by private message if you think it would be helpful. I hope you aren't waiting too long for your WLE & SLNB and that the results come back clear. Good luck and please let us know how you get on,

Angie (Stage 3 melanoma patient since 2009)

Hi MustangSally,

It's great that your moles are fine although I realise you still don't feel confident with this outcome.

To try & put your mind at ease a little - GP's and Nurse Practioners aren't trained in what to look for other than the general ABC's like the general public. Some GP's have an interest in Dermatology & they pay to do an in depth course where they are trained to use the dermascope. So although your GP & Nurse were correct in referring you, they couldn't ensure it was cancerous - even a dermatologist can't do that with the naked eye.

The dermatologist is used to seeing many moles with the use of the dermascope & they are looking for particular changes in the cell structure. If the cells look cancerous, or appear to be turning cancerous, or they can't be sure because they look neither benign or cancerous, they will arrange for the mole to be removed for a biopsy - a biopsy is the only way to confirm a cancer diagnosis.

So although your appointment was rushed, the dermatologist probably saw perfectly healthy, benign cells in the mole. If, however, you still aren't happy with the result, you are entitled to seek out a second opinion. Perhaps ringing your GP and discussing it with them might help. If the GP is amenable, they can refer you to a different hospital for a second opinion or, if you can afford it, you can arrange yourself for a consultation with a private dermatologist. 

Being new to all this you will naturally be unconvinced with the result, however, I have had many years of moles being removed for biopsy (pre-dermascope & one post-dermascope) and only my first one came back as melanoma - all the rest were benign. So I always trust my consultant when he uses the dermascope!

I hope this helps,

Angie (Stage 3 melanoma patient since 2009)