Anyone been referred for suspected skin cancer - what happened at first appt?

[QuebecBagnet]

I have an appt this coming week as referred under a 2 week wait for suspected squamous cell carcinoma. Are they likely to remove it/do a biopsy there and then?

I had the dermatologist examine it with a sort of magnifying glass and he then took a sample which was sent for analysis.
I was then called back for a more in depth consultation when it came back as cancerous. They took a bigger sample to gauge the thickness /depth of it into the skin. After this was examined I had an operation to remove a large area of skin to make such all the cancerous cells were removed. Then had a couple of check ups in 3 monthly intervals.

Not generally.
DH has had a few BCC’s & SCC’s removed over the last 8 years-he is into double figures.

it’s generally 1st app have a look and say they need a biopsy, 2nd appointment biopsy, then contacted with biopsy results by phone or letter & 3rd appointment removal.

In all the time he’s been having his removed & having 4 yearly checks I have only heard of a couple of people that have a biopsy at 1st appointment and I’ve only ever heard of one person having it taken off at first appointment. Maybe you will be lucky and be done and dusted then but just be prepared it might not be instant. I hope all goes well for you.

Thank you, in a way I hope the dermatologist agrees with the GP and thinks it’s a SCC and I get the biopsy sooner rather than later. I hear the waiting list for BCC is over a year and I’d just be worrying the whole time.

I was fortunate enough to only get the 2 week referral and an appointment OP. Examined carefully and sent off with reassurance. This was for moles (or ugly ducklings as they called them 😂).
wishing you well

GP seemed very convinced it’s a carcinoma, just depends which sort I guess. It’s not a mole, it’s a weird scabby lump which I’ve had for years.

I had a suspected BCC (don’t get me started on the delays, I had to put in a complaint, right cock up - they had me down as a follow up when I was a new patient). I went for my initial appointment, then was booked in for a biospy. Had a phone call with the biopsy result and a choice of removal options (if they offer it, I’d go for the MOHS). Then I was booked in and it was surgically removed. Mine turned out to be a basal-Squamous cell carcinoma. All gone now. Left with a small scar that’s improving with silicone gel and easily hidden with makeup.
How big is yours?

Both me and my MIL recently have had skin cancer. On both first appointments they only looked at the skin, she had to wait 8 weeks for her removal on the NHS. Luckily we have private healthcare through my husbands work and mine was removed the following week.
Mine was BCC, she still hasn't had her results yet, they said it would take 6 weeks.

It’s half a cm across on the surface but it feels bigger under the skin. It’s raised up with a sort of crater in the middle, like a little volcano.

Can they generally tell by looking? So will they say the which one they think it is this week or will they just say either it needs a biopsy or that it doesn’t.

He told me mine was BCC just by looking through some kind of magnifying glass.
My MIL was told she had 2 BCC's one on her chest and one on her back. But I noticed he wouldn't commit which type another one was on her back. That one has a much bigger scar, so looks like they went deeper removing that one.

Neither of us had biopsies, we just went straight to removal.

They looked at mine with a magnifying glass thingy too. They booked me in for a biopsy, which said the biopsy said it was a BCC but the full surgery confirmed it was actually combined. Mine was “very large” (quote from dermatology and max fax doctors), it was 3cm by 2cm by the time they removed it. As I says, I’ve only got a small scar. Yours probably won’t even be noticeable.

Hello. How long have you had your lesion for? I asked the gp about one on my leg but he doesn’t thing it is Scc although I’m not convinced :( mine has been there about 3-4 years.

That’s like DH’s latest SCC, although his grew from a tiny less than 1cm to 3cm within a couple of weeks! The crater is constantly wet & leaky too. It definitely feels an even bigger lump under the surface, he’s not had one look like that before. Dermatology looked at it and said they had no clue what it was and that he’d need to come back for biopsy.
Consultant phoned him & confirmed SCC biopsy results & his removal is going to be around 4.5 weeks after they originally looked at it.

he waited 9 months for removal of an SCC during the height of the pandemic, even though his dermatologist had referred him for removal urgently at a different hospital due to the location of it & it needing the plastics team to carry out removal & reconstruction. It was a terrifying time but the delay was actually because he was missed, & then it was Christmas rather than the covid issue.

@HelpIneedsomebodywontyouplease thats scary that your dh had to wait for so long.

I’ve had it for at least six years though so I keep telling myself surely if it was SCC I’d either be dead or it would be bigger by now. Saying that I’ve cut it out a few times with a knife and while it has never totally disappeared I’ve got most of it out a couple of times before, then it’s sort of been dormant and then always grown back. It’s gone from a tiny dot to this bigger lump within a few weeks now.

@HelpIneedsomebodywontyouplease how long did he wait from been seen by dermatology and the biopsy?

when he had the 9 month wait it grew from a tiny patch to a massive growth bigger than one of those big marbles, it constantly split and bled so maybe the fact yours hasn’t grown is a good sign? 🤞although maybe if you weren’t so hardcore and performed your own excision it would be bigger!

He didn’t have to wait for dermatology, he has direct contact with the skin cancer nurse at dermatology because he’s had so many removed, he emailed a picture and was seen by her & the consultant a few days later. Biopsy around 8 days after they first looked at it.

@QuebecBagnet, make sure you tell the dermatologist that you've been attacking the lesion yourself with a knife over 6 years.

Will do. Guess I don’t want them thinking it’s ok if it’s small when perhaps if I hadn’t cut it out a few times it might be bigger.

I was referred recently for a small lump but it was benign.

@QuebecBagnet , melanoma ( which your lesion may not be )starts in the skin but it doesn't stop there.

I’m currently waiting for surgery to remove a diagnosed BCC.
My pathway was slightly different. The GP took a look said it was benign/nothing but since I’d had skin cancer before and other relevant history, he would refer me to dermatology anyway (I was a bit assertive). Dermatology then had professional medical photos done of the lesion. A consultant then diagnosed it as a BCC and has recommended a complete excision of the lesion and surrounding area- approximately a 45 minute surgery. Apparently, I will be contacted by the surgical team once I reach the top of the wait list.

But at any rate, biopsies aren’t always done. Sometimes you skip straight to surgery.

My Dh had a bcc spotted last year. He has annual checks as immunosuppressed.

Just to let you know it took about 4 weeks between the biopsy and the call to give the results. I searched on Mumsnet because I was anxious (didn't know it was bcc, just that it was suspicious) and 4 week wait biopsy result seems standard positive or negative result.

Good luck

Well after all that worry it isn’t any type of cancer. I didn’t catch what she said it was but I’ve been given a high dose steroid cream and need to go back in 8 weeks.

I read somewhere that something like 90% of referrals for skin cancer aren't skin cancer. Glad you're in the 90% :)