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Cancer two week wait ( skin )

6 replies

Ignored124 · 05/07/2026 18:54

Hello
I have been referred for suspected melanoma . Doctor thinks it may be that or an atypical mole . I have a dermatologist appointment on Wednesday . Can anyone with experience tell me , will the dermatologist tell me straight ‘looks like melanoma ‘ and will I likely get it taken off ?
Thanks

OP posts:
Pieandchips999 · 05/07/2026 19:02

I had this last year. Exactly the same thing. I went to dermatology and the dermatologist said that it was precancerous but they would remove it to stop it developing then biopsy it. I got a cancellation the same day, otherwise it would have been a couple more weeks. I then got given an appointment to come in and see a nurse. The nurse told me I had a stage 0 melanoma. This means it's gone in the outer layer of the skin but no further. This meant I had to have something called a wide local incision which is removing more of the surrounding area. I took two weeks off work to heal and then went back on adjusted duties although the lady that did my operations told me to take a month. She was right I should have taken a month. I was knackered and didn't appreciate how long the healing takes. I then had all my moles photographed and a follow up in three months. I was also given prevention advice. After 3 months nothing had changed so I was discharged. Then life went back to normal, other than a 7cm scar. It sounds like you have got it checked at an early stage.

Yellowpapersun · 05/07/2026 19:05

I was referred under the 2 week rule for a suspected melanoma. The consultant said, before we started, that she'd tell me immediately if she thought it was cancer. She didn't and it wasn't. DH has been told the same by two different consultants so it must be what they do.

Pieandchips999 · 05/07/2026 19:09

Yellowpapersun · 05/07/2026 19:05

I was referred under the 2 week rule for a suspected melanoma. The consultant said, before we started, that she'd tell me immediately if she thought it was cancer. She didn't and it wasn't. DH has been told the same by two different consultants so it must be what they do.

They do aim to tell you at the appointment there opinion on whether it's cancerous or not. It's just worth noting that you can't be too sure to the biopsy of they think it needs removing. Although I imagine some don't need removing

Buynow · 06/07/2026 14:30

DH was referred and they just removed it and sent for biopsy. It was benign.
I was referred a few weeks ago and they just looked at it and said it was a BCC and burnt it off there and then.

Brinny · 13/07/2026 00:12

Told me straightaway it was a BCC , had it removed on face last week. Still sore 10 stitches but rather have them then BCC

SaraHoliday · 13/07/2026 00:46

Ignored124 · 05/07/2026 18:54

Hello
I have been referred for suspected melanoma . Doctor thinks it may be that or an atypical mole . I have a dermatologist appointment on Wednesday . Can anyone with experience tell me , will the dermatologist tell me straight ‘looks like melanoma ‘ and will I likely get it taken off ?
Thanks

First of all, try not to worry. Here's my story and I did not have cancer.

My experience seems to be a little different to the other posters.

Just for point of reference, I'm blonde, pale skinned and have never been a sun-bather.

I was referred for possible skin cancer under the 2-week wait cancer diagnosis pathway.

My GP referred me to a Dermatology clinic which is a private practice. The person who used a dermatoscope to measure and photograph my tiny 'mole' was not a trained Dermatologist and could not advise me on anything.

The measurements and photographs were then emailed to an actual Dermatologist. I then had a 5-day wait.

Unfortunately, they could not establish if it was a rogue mole or not, so then it became know as a 'lesion'.

I then got a next-day appointment at a NHS hospital to have the dermatoscope test repeated by a Consultant.

The Consultant said it had unusual features so decided it needed to be biopsied a couple of days later.

I was sent away with leaflets and an appointment for a punch biopsy.

On the day of the biopsy with a Surgeon, she repeated the dermatoscope test and took more measurements. It had grown by 1mm but was still tiny.

The punch biopsy would just take a central core sample of it so you'd get left with something that resembled a polo mint lesion.

Fortunately the Surgeon asked if I would prefer it removed completely. That's what I chose. The removal took less than 5 minutes and I felt no pain during or after removal.

She told me there and then that it would now be sent off to the lab but in her experience whatever it turned out to be looked benign. Stitches stayed in for about a week. No noticeable scar.

A few days later, I received a letter stating it was a benign normal mole.

It does make you a bit more alert in the future & but that's not a bad thing.

Hope that helps someone in some way!

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