To be a bit worried about melanoma

[AmIMad95]

I'm 37 and I've noticed a new mole on my stomach. It just seems to have appeared from nowhere. It's 5mm long with an irregular border. Not sure how long I've had it, but definitely a few months at least. I remember noticing it around 2 months ago and thinking "oh that's new" and then inexplicably ignoring it until now. I don't think it's noticeably grown in that time but not sure. I'm attaching photos.

I'm generally quite high risk for melanoma because I'm very pale, have >100 moles, and unfortunately was stupid enough to get several nasty sunburns in my late teens and early 20s. At least I never get burned now, and didn't as a young child.

I'm going to try to get a GP appointment on Monday. Just wondering if anybody has any experience of this kind of thing, and how likely a new mole in late 30s is to be benign vs cancer?

I'm trying to add a couple of photos but it doesn't seem to be working.

Hi OP couldn't see a pic attached but I have had a BCC diagnosis (obvs less serious) but am now under annual review. The fact it hasn't noticeably grown in a few months is reassuring and you can still develop innocent moles as you get older but it's still right to get it checked.

I've been referred to dermatology on the 2ww as the GP said there were suspicious features. But he said hopefully it was overkill and it might just be a dysplastic naevus. I'm a bit worried. I'm also wondering about the other moles on my body and whether they've changed and I haven't noticed. I have a big one on my back that I've had since childhood but it's never changed... I don't think it has, anyway. Images still don't seem to be working.

New moles can be normal. It's also normal for dysplastic nevus to have suspicious features. My mother has several hundred moles and many large ones and dysplastic nevus, her brother also had melanoma (he's fine, was several years ago). He and mum did also have a lot of sun exposure in their earlier adulthoods.

I seem to have luckily instead inherited my father's darker skin and only have a few moles and no large ones. But I'm posting because it's something I've been my mum and family members go through their whole lives.

You're doing the right thing, it's getting checked so leave the worry in their hands for now. You may be at higher risk for melanoma, but remember you're also higher risk for dodgy looking but benign moles – which, statistically, it's still much more likely to be.

Thank you for the insight. Yes, fingers crossed it's just a slightly weird mole. Or if it is melanoma an early stage! I guess all I can do is make sure I keep monitoring my moles and get any new or changing ones checked. The GP said the derm team will do a check if my whole body while I'm there so that will be useful.

The fact you’re being referred on the pathway is a good thing, hopefully it’s nothing but you will be seeing an expert. It is likely to be nothing but this is all a good thing, checking, keeping track of your moles, a receptive gp and a speedy referral.
i had skin cancer (all good now) in my late 20s going into 30. Didimum sums it up better than I can, but basically try to put the worry about of your head until you see the derm. For future tracking there are also apps you can use to track moles like and mole mapping appts you can get privately. Which can help the “has it changed” thing as it’s so hard to work out when you see them everyday

Hi OP. I've been referred many a time for moles on the 2ww, i have hundreds of them, blonde hair and blue eyes. All benign. It was when I went for my private, yearly mole check they saw a very superficial BCC which they gave me a cream for. Whatever it is, they'll sort it. It's hard not to worry, even when we know there is no point, we still do it! It's great you're going to dermatology because they'll do an MOT and hopefully give you the reassurance you need.

I got a notification on the NHS app today to contact the dermatology department as they should have been in touch with me by now. I called and spoke to somebody who said they were a bit behind so I might not hear from them for another week or so. I guess that means my actual appointment will be outside the two weeks, but hey ho.

My appointment is tomorrow, so came through quickly.

Hope all goes well OP.

She thinks the new mole is ok but is going to remove a different one on my back. I've had it years and I don't think it's changed but she said it looks odd. It should be taken off within a month.

Can I ask whereabouts in the country you are? I also had a strange growth on my stomach which came up when I was on holiday nearly two years ago. It would flare up and bleed, then calm down again.
I saw my GP who gave me the “chemotherapy cream” which didn’t work.
I then got referred on the 2WW scheme and seen quickly. Received a letter to tell me it’s BCC but there’s a 26 week wait to see a specialist!
I am going to call them tomorrow to see what is going on.

I'm in the West Midlands. Hopefully now your BCC is removed you're all good - they don't normally spread, do they? What's your follow up, are they doing checks on other moles and lesions?

I wasn't overly impressed by my consultant. My GP implied I'd have a 40 minute appointment and she'd do a full body check, but she actually only checked the new mole and then I had to kinda persuade her to check some of my other ones, at which point she was like "oh yes we should take that one off." I only managed to get her to check some on my back and stomach, not my legs or anywhere else. I was in there less than 10 minutes. Anyway, at least she doesn't think it's metastatic melanoma or anything!

I haven’t seen anyone or had it removed! I went to a clinic where they took pictures on an iPhone. I then got the report to say “probable BCC” and I’d be referred to dermatology.
I called the hospital today to be told it’s a 13 month wait….that’s for an “urgent” case!

I’m in the South East.

That’s not good! You should have had a body map.

glad they don’t think it’s anything worrying OP. I’m the same in that I have >100 moles, all irregular in shape and colour, and have spent a lot of my life in the sun (I also had some sun beds in my 20s - REGRET!). I pay every two years for full body mole map at a specialist dermatologist. It’s expensive at around £200 but I consider it my tax for having this sort of skin (and being so stupid with UV exposure). Worth seeing if there’s somewhere near you that’ll do you a map and check against it every year or so for changes. Worth it for the peace of mind.

Can you pay to see a private dermatologist. About £250. They’ll have a good look and also quite good are advising how to get on the nhs list if needed. If you start doing mole removal with them it gets ££££, but at least you might get peace of mind.

Oh wow that's shocking. Even though BCC is slow growing nobody wants a cancer sitting on them for months. Maybe you can get referred to a different hospital / trust??

Yes that sounds like a good idea. At least then I'd have a baseline.

Your GP was incorrect. If you want a full body check or mole mapping as a low risk person, you need to go private.

I have advanced melanoma and I’ve never had a full body check on the NHS. I’ve never had a 40 minute appointment ever, I don’t think, except maybe ahead of complex surgeries. It’s your job to flag up anything worrying. It’s odd though that they’ve seen you, looked at them and said they’d remove them. Normally, you’d go through teledermascopy and they’d take photos for analysis before making any decisions about biopsy.

I would wait out the results of the biopsy before you make any next steps. If biopsy is negative, and hopefully it will be, I’d consider mole mapping if you have a lot of moles. This will allow you to chart changes. When melanoma grows, it grows and changes quickly. So it’s being able to chart those changes along with other symptoms, like itching or bleeding, that are important for flagging problems.

I have advanced melanoma and I’ve never had a full body check on the NHS. It’s your job to flag up anything worrying. It’s odd though that they’ve seen you, looked at them and said they’d remove them. Normally, you’d go through teledermascopy and they’d take photos for analysis before making any decisions about biopsy.

That's shocking. I had two moles removed last year at my local surgery - they were automatically sent off for biopsy and returned as benign. The wait between my original appointment and removal was three weeks, and they were non-urgent.

Maybe this will help someone,

https://www.bupa.co.uk/newsroom/ourviews/checking-your-moles

Mole mapping is very NHS trust dependent. It was started by Imperial NHS trust (St Marys and Hammersmith hospital) and they put you onto annual mapping if they think there's anything dodgy at risk -- I have >100 moles and one they took out to be on the safe side, and they offered me the programme. I chatted about it all with the consultant one time when I was being done. There are a few other NHS trusts that do it but I'm afraid I forget which. It may be possible to work this out online. Then, you are allowed to ask your GP to refer you to any hospital, so if there's a vaguely convenient one, you can ask for that. (I just happened to live by St Marys when I got a dodgy mole, I was lucky)

I am having it removed on Monday. Hopefully that'll be it done and dusted.