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How long do I have to wait?

grannyd.
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Went to the skin cancer hospital this morning after a referral last week from my GP about a melanoma(?)He said I would have a biopsy.When I got to the hospital I was shown into a room and a woman asked me questions and took photos of 2 moles said they would be forwarded to a consultant and I would be contacted soon. She also said if I was worried about the other moles to go back to my GP for another referral! Has anyone else had this experience.

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    That is quite different to my experience.

    I was referred to dermatology for a suspicious mole before and at the hospital appointment about 3 weeks later the dermatologist (doctor) looked at it with a special device called a dermatoscope and saw that it looked abnormal so it was scheduled for removal, at another appointment a few weeks later (which was a very quick procedure and only took out the mole and I had 2 stitches), and then the biopsy results took another few weeks and showed it wasn’t cancerous but was severely abnormal so I was scheduled for another procedure to remove more skin from around where the mole had been, which took about 6 months to arrange, and that was biopsied as well but no signs of cancer.

    Was the woman who took photos a doctor? Personally I would contact the hospital for clarification on next steps and when you should hear back, but no doctor can diagnose cancer from photos alone. If that doesn’t work I would go back to your GP and/or complain because that really doesn’t sound right to me!

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    Hi grannyd,

    I'm afraid your GP misled you that you would have to have a biopsy as not every person that is referred to dermatology needs a biopsy. 

    Pre Covid a GP would refer a patient to dermatology where a consultant would examine the mole using a dermascope - this piece of kit shows any changes in cell structure. If it shows a change, the patient then has to have a biopsy as this is the only way to 100% confirm malignancy.

    Post Covid, due to the backlog of referrals, a lack of dermatologists & histologists and more people becoming aware of checking their moles, most hospitals have had to set up a triage system. So most people now see Teledermy at their 2 week referral appointment. This is a department where specialist staff photograph the mole (including the cell structure) using specialist equipment and it then gets sent to a consultant dermatologist who examines the pictures. A decision is then made if the patient needs checking by the consultant & if a biopsy is necessary. This process takes a little longer than the old process but Teledermy can weed out the 'innocent' suspicious moles/lesions that a GP can't (as the naked eye isn't foolproof and most GPs aren't trained in how to use a dermascope).

    I hope this helps. Good luck & I hope your mole is found to be benign. Please let us know how you get on,

    Angie (Stage 3 melanoma patient since 2009)

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