I’ve been diagnosed with stage 2b melanoma on my shin. This is my second time- same leg. (5 years apart). How long should you wait between a biopsy removal and a wide excision?
I'm sorry to hear you have been diagnosed with melanoma again. Sadly you will notice it's now a longer wait between getting your biopsy results & then having the WLE. Surgical lists are longer due to the Covid backlog, a lack of dermatologists & histologists & more people seeking medical help for suspicious moles/lesions. Depending on the area you live in will depend on the average wait for a WLE. Waiting times can be anything from 4 to 8 weeks. Also, have you been offered a Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy as you are Stage 2b? If so and you are having this with the WLE, it makes the wait longer at some hospitals. This is because a radiologist has to be present to inject the dye & then ultrasound the lymph nodes that light up. This can delay both procedures up to 12 weeks (again, depending on the hospital trust).
If the hospital haven't given you any indication as to how long you will be waiting, I would ring dermatology or the Cancer Nurse (if you have their contact details) and ask how long you will be waiting.
Thanks for this response. I have an appt on Monday to discuss options including the slnb- I had that the last time and it caused me more hassle than the wound. I have a holiday planned mid feb so I was looking for a rough idea of how long I could wait between biopsy and wide excision. I’ll need to play it by ear as I don’t want to be on holiday with a round that’s not healed properly.
They may be able to give you an idea as to the waiting time when you see them on Monday. Hopefully they can do it earlier to give you chance to heal or delay it until your return.
