Hi,

I know it's worrying but there is still a chance it could be benign or dysplastic (pre-cancerous). 75% of patients referred to dermatology get a clean bill of health, 20% are found to be dysplastic and 5% melanoma. I know of several people, myself included, who have had moles removed that matched several of the ABCDE points & they weren't melanoma, so try not to focus too much on it until the results are back.

If it it is melanoma, the treatment these days is very good, especially if it's been caught early stage (before it's grown too deep). I've had 6 moles/lesions removed over the years and only one, the first, was melanoma. That was 25 years ago and even though I was sadly in the 5% that it returns & spreads, I'm still here, fit, healthy and with no sign of the cancer all these years later. 

Try not to Google because most websites are out of date or terrify people. The best websites to check, if you feel the need, are this CRUK website, Macmillan, the British Association of Dermatologists or two of the melanoma charity websites - MelanomaUK and Melanoma Focus.

Good luck with your surgery and the results. Please let us know how you get on,

Angie (Stage 3 melanoma patient since 2009)

Hi Rumbelina,

As Angie says, the chances are the mole is benign, but should it be malignant, don't fret, the chances of it having not spread are in your favour.

Once you have the results, you will be called in to discuss them with the skin specialist. If it is Melanoma, dependent on the breslow depth and whether it is ulcerated , you will have a conversation as to whether you wish to have a sentinel lymph node biopsy, this isn't treatment  but is more of a prognostic tool to stage you correctly. 

My wife recently had a 2.1mm non ulcerated melanoma and opted for the node biopsy, fortunately it hadn't spread and she was therefore staged at 2a. 

The most important thing for now is that whatever it is, it will be removed.  I wish you all the best with your results.

Thank you for your comments and reassurance, I think it's just a nagging worry which is probably normal - I'm normally very pragmatic. Excision is tomorrow so hopefully in two weeks it will be done with and I can sleep soundly again!