Hi Eevee,

I know how anxious & stressful it is when waiting for biopsy results. Before Covid, the average waiting time was 2 to 4 weeks but sadly it's much longer at the moment. It differs greatly between hospital trusts so there is no 'one size fits all' guide to how long it will take. As you have had a letter quoting a 6+ week wait, I would leave it until into the 7th week before chasing it up. Don't feel awkward about ringing them - they know how stressful it is for patients & they deal with it every day. Hopefully you will hear before then but if not, give the dermatology clinic a ring & they may be able to give you an idea as to how much longer you will be waiting if the results aren't back yet. They can't tell you them over the phone - it's usually the consultant's secretary who takes the calls & they are not allowed to give results out. If they say the results are back but there will be a delay in contacting you, that's because all results have to be discussed at the weekly Multi Disciplinary Team Meeting,(dermatologist, plastics surgeon, oncology & nurses) regardless of whether the results are good or bad. After the meeting they then contact the patient.

I hope this helps & that you aren't waiting too much longer. Good luck and please let us know how you get on,

Angie (melanoma patient)

Hi Angie, 

Thanks so much for taking the time to reply and for all the information. I think that's good advice, I'll wait until week 7 and then give them a ring to see where they are. I guess clinics all over have different work loads so it's hard to say what the current wait times are at any given place. 
 

The few people I've spoken to so far seem to have the 'no news is good news' oppinion and think I would have heard sooner if there were any issues but I think that's probably not the case and you just hear once they have had a chance to process your biopsy. 
 

you can spend way too much time speculating huh. 
 

Thanks so much, I'll let you know how I get on. 
 

All the best, 

Eevee