8 wk wait for results now called in for follow up

Hi Chocandcheese and a very warm welcome to the online community which I hope you'll find is both an informative and supportive place to be.

Waiting for results is naturally an anxious time as we always suspect the worst. Like your husband, I'm a very moley person, and I've had various moles and lesions removed from my body over the last 7 years. Fortunately only one has turned out to be melanoma.

I'll answer your questions in the order that you have put them:

a) they wouldn't call him in unless it's bad news - different hospitals have different protocols so you can't read anything in to the fact that he has a face-to-face appointment. Some consultants/SCNSs like to see you regardless of the results, others send out the results by post or speak to you on the phone, again regardless of the results.  

b) he's meeting a MacMillan nurse so it's definitely cancer - your husband would be given his results either by a skin cancer nurse specialist (SCNS) or a consultant as they are trained to answer any questions he might have and also to show him how to check his skin, etc in future. The fact that the SCNS he's seeing is a 'Macmillan' SCNS just means that her training has been funded by Macmillan. 

c) it was a large mole that he'd had for a few months, what if its already too late - if it does turn out to be melanoma, it's the depth of the mole under the skin that decides what Stage it is rather than the spread on the surface. For the majority of people who are diagnosed with melanoma, the only further treatment they will need is a wide local excision (WLE) which is basically a larger version of the biopsy excision, and is done to make absolutely sure that no stray cells have been left behind.

d) why has it taken so long to get results, this has clearly now delayed any treatment - the time it takes to get the results back is purely down to how busy the pathology laboratories are in your area of the country. The usual time is anywhere between 2-8 weeks with most people getting them back around the 4 week mark. Also, sometimes it can be difficult to distinguish between a melanoma and an atypical mole so they are sent off for a second opinion, which obviously adds to the time.

Chocandcheese said:

i believed everything was meant to done in 2 wk stages

I think what you're referring to here is what is commonly called the two week wait. Assuming that you are in England, Scotland or Northern Ireland, the current target to be seen by a specialist, in your husband's case a dermatologist, is within 2 weeks of being referred. From what you said he was seen within 2 weeks and hopefully the mole will turn out to be benign. You can read more about treatment targets on the Cancer Research website by clicking here.

I'll be keeping everything crossed for a benign result but, even if it does turn out to be melanoma, you'll find plenty of support here.

((hugs))

Hi im still waiting for wle and slnb results been waiting 8 weeks now I'm going to call on Monday as saw nurse a few weeks ago I asked for results consultant was away she said I would get a appointment in a couple of weeks still not heard anything. Waiting is the worse. I'm now going  back to work on monday not sure how many hours I will be able to do as my job on feet all day and I had skin graft on side of foot where mole was.

Hi Chocandcheese

Not sure if this will help, but as a 49 yr old bloke, with no experience of this and waiting for biopsy results on 2 moles - I'm in a similar boat.  I know it's a 'bloke thing' but burying your head in the sand isn't a bad option until the results are through.  I've only been waiting 2 weeks so a long wait ahead by the sounds if it. 

Once I got told I needed them removed, I was straight on google.  Worst thing I could have done. You only tend to read about worst case scenarios and every picture of a melanoma looks like yours! 

When I calmed down and looked at the actual stats.  It's something like a 10 percent chance of actually getting the result back as a melanoma.

If he is in unfortunate enough to be in  that 10%, then there is a 90+ % chance it will be treatable, with high long term survival rates.  

They are pretty good odds.  Try to focus on the high majority of positive outcomes. Your other half wouldn't want you to worry - hence the buried head approach.  My wife tends to be the worrier of the two - she'd feel your pain on that front! 

Anyway, hope everything turns out  positively for you both. 

I'm off to return my head to the sand. 

Kind regards

Steve

Wow, thank you. This is such a thorough and positive response. I really appreciate you taking the time to respond to all of my thoughts in turn. Having had no experience in this field, I jumped straight the worst case scenario. After reading your message I feel much calmer and I already have a clearly understanding of the process. Thank you so so much. 

Thank you for your reply. 8 weeks seems so long, doesn't it? I hope you get results soon and work can help make adaptations to support you. 

Hi Steve, 

Thank you for your response. Thank you for sharing your experience and how you are approaching it. It has definitely given me food for thought and made me realise I need to stop catastrophising and remain positive. I hope you get your results back soon and all is well. 

Hi, I know it’s a scary time waiting for results as I’ve been through it recently too. My experience was I had a call to go in to discuss results and then when I went in I was told it was melanoma but that the excision they took out got it all so it was now gone. 

Like latchbrook says each hospital has a different approach and it could all be completely fine and not melanoma.

I hope sharing my experience doesn’t make you worry but I just wanted to give a different perspective where I consider my appointment was very good news (even tho it turned out it was melanoma) so even if it does turn out to have been melanoma it could all now be gone and dealt with. I never considered this as a possibility when I received the call to go in.

Good luck and keep busy until the appointment is the best advice I could give x

Thank you for responding and sharing your experience. I feel much calmer now and will wait and see what Thursday brings. Whatever the outcome, I am so pleased I have found this community of wonderful supportive people. 

***update***

We went to hospital for follow-up appointment. We were told that the mole on his head was fine but the one on his chest was stage 1a melanoma. My husband was upset and in shock. Because I had done my research and had already feared the worst, I felt relieved it hadn't progressed any further. I asked why the results took so long and were told that there are so many more cases now, they now have to out source the biopsies across the country. 

Although they say they have removed the cancer they need to do a wider excision to ensure there are no stray cells. That is booked in for 2wks time. He was given a thorough examination of all other moles. All looked OK. His lymph nodes were also checked. They found one swollen one but didn't think it was connected as they can flare up after infection or injury and my husband had a work related accident a few months ago that he's still recovering from so they think it's related to that rather than the cancer. But they are sending him for an ultrasound just to be on the safe side. 

Thank you again for your response and support. And for anyone else that it is worried, all I can say is I feel so much better now I know where we are at. Knowledge is power. 

Sorry to hear that it was diagnosed as melanoma. This is exactly the same as what happened with me. My mole on my arm was Stage 1a too. I've got my wle on Tuesday as they managed to get me in on a cancellation. 

Like you I had done my research and realised that Stage 0 or Stage 1A was the best case scenario as soon as I was called in so when mine was confirmed as Stage 1A and they said they've removed it all I was actually very positive and felt a lot better. I've had the odd day since when it's properly sunk in that I'm now part of the 1 in 2 club of people who have had cancer but I know it could have been a lot worse. 

Hope your husband feels a bit better soon. I'm hoping once the wle is done and the results from that are confirmed that I can chalk this up as a warning sign, make sure I'm more careful going forward with sunscreen etc (I wasn't bad before) and just get on with my life. Fingers crossed for the same for your husband too. Also thinking of you as I know the impact on friends and family can also be worrying x