Hi LouLou,

Sorry you are going through this. Spitz nevus are more common in younger people & children but I do know of a few adults who have also had them. Because they present similar to melanoma NICE guidelines are to treat them as if they are melanoma. So the removal (excision) for biopsy is the standard route to take. Most biopsies confirm that they are a spitz so hopefully yours will be the same & will be benign.

I hope you aren't waiting too long for the results. Good luck and please let us know how you get on,

Angie (melanoma patient)

Hi Angie,

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply, I really appreciate it. Aw thank you that kind of puts my mind at ease as I thought all adults who had a spitz would be cancer. I used sunbeds on and off for about 15 years so that's another reason I'm so scared to the results. My consultant said it would probably take about 4 weeks for results so only another couple of weeks to wait hopefully. The stress of it is literally making my hair fall out anyway fingers crossed it is benign  

Thank you again

Louisa

Hi Louisa / anyone else that may be able to help.

I just came across your post from last year. I've also just been told that the mole I had removed is a spitz nevus (and like you I immediately thought the worst as I read that it's often mistaken for a melanoma and that it's mainly children who get it) - I'm 34 y/o female so similarly I'm naturally thinking the worse. They now want to remove the skin around where the mole was removed to double check it's not a melanoma but now I'm wondering - as it's so hard to tell, what characteristics determine a spitz from melanoma? I don't know if my anxiety can hold off for another 4 weeks. (I have other medical issues I'm facing at the moment as well so my threshold for waiting /bad news isn't great!)

I was wondering what your results came out with? I hope you're well anyway.

And for anyone that does have a melanoma - what stage are you at and what has treatment been like? 

Thanks so much in advance and sending well wishes to all.

Indy x

Hey Indy,

Really sorry you are going through this worrying time right now. My results came back that it was just a spitz so no further action was needed. I totally understand the anxiety and the constant thinking about it as I was exactly the same and know how hard it is not to stop thinking about it. Where about is your mole? Have they taken more skin or are you waiting for this to be done? 

Louisa x

Hey Indy,

Really sorry you are going through this worrying time right now. My results came back that it was just a spitz so no further action was needed. I totally understand the anxiety and the constant thinking about it as I was exactly the same and know how hard it is not to stop thinking about it. Where about is your mole? Have they taken more skin or are you waiting for this to be done? 

Louisa x

Hi Louisa 

I'm so glad to hear yours was just a Spitz in the end. They didn't ask to do a wider excision to check for skin around the spitz to confirm?
(I think the only reason I have to have a second excision is because they didn't remove any of the normal skin at the same time, otherwise they could have ruled it as a spitz completely which is what it sounds like they did with yours)

Your positive makes me feel slightly better!

Thank you x

Hi Indy,

When I went to the hospital, the dermatologist was concerned about it and that's why she took it off then and there (due to my addiction to sunbeds for the previous 15 or so years) She told me when she was removing the mole that she was going to go quite deep and also remove enough tissue around it so I think that's why I didn't need to get any further tests. If I'm honest I always worry that they got it wrong but know they know better than my anxiety brain  

I'll keep my fingers crossed that everything comes back as just a spitz for you please let me know how you get on and try your best to keep your mind of it in the meantime x