I had a perineal punch biopsy done on an irregular shaped mole yesterday which I found by accident 3 months ago. I was very upset to see it's still there, only the centre has been taken. Is this normal?
Who did the punch biopsy, was it your GP or a dermatologist? A punch biopsy should only be carried out on a mole if the doctor is pretty certain it will come back as benign. Otherwise it should be removed by excision - the whole mole with an extra margin of border for safety.
Thanks foy your reply, it was done by my gynaecologist, I had a hysteroscopy at the same time under GA. as a day case, and didnt get the opportunity to check it out untill I got home. I was under the impression it would be all have been excised. I have a follow up with her in 2 weeks.
That's very unusual for someone other than a dermatologist or a plastic surgeon to remove a mole. I suppose she thought she was saving you another appointment by doing it but a punch biopsy is really not the best way to get a biopsy sample of a mole. The main reason for removal by excision is so that they can tell how deep the mole had grown (which is important if it's melanoma) whereas a punch biopsy only removes a small circular section of the mole and it may also not be a big enough sample for a full biopsy. Hopefully it is a good sample and the results come back clear but don't be surprised if they say it wasn't big enough for a full biopsy and that you may need a further excision. If it comes back as positive for cancerous cells she should then arrange for the dermatology department to take over your care as a further wide local excision is the next step to ensure it's all removed (along with a healthy margin of skin around it). Good luck and please let us know how you get on. Also good luck with your hysteroscopy results.
My GP adviced me to see the gynae as it's very close to my 'a hem'... then other gyn problems found, hence the hysterscopy. Thanks for your advice I will go to my next appointment as planned for the results( 6 weeks not 2 weeks) . But I also will try and get a dermatology appoint after that date, if I'm not happy with what the gynae says.
