Hi Mz009. Welcome to the forum.

It is standard practice to arrange an appointment before the results are known, and if the results are delayed then you're going to be left frustrated, angry, frightened and disappointed. 

Waiting for results is always hard, and situations like you describe are becoming more common.  But it was a problem well before Covid struck.  I recall that when I received the results following on from my prostate cancer surgery ten years ago, I was kept waiting while the results were sent through to the surgeon.

I think the problem is that hospital path labs are overwhelmed and have been for years.  More staff need to be recruited, more equipment bought, and more money spent, but it's all out of our control.  Meanwhile, I have found a good way to cope with the stress of waiting is this short video: How to Meditate in a Moment

By the way, judging from many posts on this forum, it appears very common for a hospital doctor to tell you that you'll receive the results one way, only for you to receive them in an entirely different way.  In fact, you could almost bet that if a doctor tells you you'll get a phone call, then you'll get a letter instead.  So, don't panic when this happens to you and don't read anything into it. 

Thank you, I really appreciate your response. The Dr did say that pathology are probably busier than normal because of the Christmas period. I'm guessing people take more time off at Christmas. I just want to now if it's benign or not. The fact that they sent the specimen to a cancer hospital doesn't sound promising so I was wondering if this is a normal procedure and it could still be benign. Also how long do people normally have to wait for these results. 

Hi Ma009.

I'm not sure of the percentages in the UK, but for the US I found a reference that said that around 7% of removed moles turn out to be melanoma.  I'd be happy with those odds.  What I don't know is whether or not American doctors are more inclined to excise a mole than British doctors, or whether everyone follows the same guidelines.  In any case, it seems more than likely that your mole is benign. 

If I can make an observation.  We're well past the point (if it ever existed) that doctors had some 6th sense by which they could smell out cancer, and when they referred you onwards, it was because they were pretty sure you had it.  Today's doctors are given guidelines to follow and to refer anyone who meets the guidelines.  The guidelines are set wide so that 9 out of 10 people who get referred turn out not to have cancer. Once you're referred, you're usually put through a standard battery of tests, and once the results are in, the Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) look at them and decide what happens next.  This approach gives the best chance that when a cancer is found, it is found early enough for treatment to be relatively simple and curative.  The downside of this is that 9 out of 10 people get put through a worrying experience and have an anxious time before they're told there was nothing to worry about in the first place.