Advice please

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Hi everyone , so I had a biopsy 6 weeks ago removal of a mole , did not hear anything for 6 weeks then eventually I had a appointment with the consultant, I was rather shocked when she told me it was melanoma in situ non invasive , the next step was to do a wider margin which was done this morning , so I had several stitches put in, am worried a bit can anyone explain to me why this has been done , they take more skin tissue away , then another 4 week wait for results

Adele B over 2 years ago

Hi, they do a WLE to ensure they have captured all the cancerous cells. If yours was in situ, the chances are incredibly low of any cancerous cells being left.

Chamomile over 2 years ago in reply to Adele B

The best practice is to ensure 'clear margins' so when the dermatology surgeon does the Wide Local Excision or WLE they will want to ensure that they have got clear margins. Imagine a penny coin and you want to ensure that you have cut it out. You don't cut up to the margin but leave a few millimetres extra around and below. This is the safest way to remove it! Melanoma in Situ means that the melanoma is just in the top lay of skin called the epidermis. They have not grown into deeper layers of the skin. Have you asked if you have a skin cancer clinical nurse specialist CNS to talk to if you are worried? xxx

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Advice please