Hi maria29,

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.

Angie (melanoma patient)

Hiya Angie

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.

Maria.

Hi Maria,

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.

Angie