Update on this ‘journey’: as my lesion had changed considerably from biopsy to diagnosis (almost 16 weeks), and as the only contact I’d had was the consultant’s secretary who returned MY call asking for an update on the biopsy, I sought a second opinion, nothing available in my part of the UK until February’25. I was booked for a trip to Malta and decided to book a dermatologist whilst I was thete. . He was very thorough, examined the lesion and my glands, told me in his opinion the lesion was no longer ‘in situ’ and had penetrated deeper into the skin and that the only option was to cut it out, not to use the cream they’d sent me. As I don’t return to the uk until 7/12, I booked a gp phone call to discuss this. Just finished the call and, honestly, I’m gobsmacked. After explaining everything that’s happened she asked ‘would you consider going private?’ When I explained the UK private situation and that Maltese derms ARE NOT free, and that maybe it was time the NHS grabbed the baton, she said she’d contact dermatology but obviously she hadn’t seen the lesion so it wasn’t that straightforward. So, I’ve sent her a pic, and now I wait.
Is this reasonable?
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Jamima
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Hi. I've had several bits of skin cancer excised. Two were BCC (basal cell carcinoma) and one, the more serious, SCC (squamous cell carcinoma). What type do you have? They should have told you or I may have missed a post.
In all cases I went to a private dermatologist. I didn't feel the GP I saw was taking it seriously. I have two more areas being removed on Friday 😕
Efudix cream is topical chemotherapy for basal cell carcinoma and used frequently if superficial.
Bottom line is, if you're worried, you should go private. The NHS, in my experience, are quite laid back about BCC. SCC they might catch and melanoma they are very swift to treat.
Thank you Agitator23, mine is SCC, I’m trying g to find a private seem in my area but there seems to be no availability until next Feb. I’ll have a look outwith my area too.
Reading your accounts I think I have been lucky in where I live.
In late ‘22 about something the doctor thought might be skin cancer, she referred me to the dermatologist dept at the hospital. I was seen, they thought it was a squamous cell and I was sent an appointment to remove it. That was done and a biopsy taken, a couple of months later I had a negative for cancer result. I’m still healing and it’s been 10 months. I was told it could take up to 2 years to heal properly. I have seen the dermatologist a few times since. The last time, a week ago. I asked why not take a biopsy first because friends in America have and he told me that money was in it. Over here he said, biopsy takes so long to get the results through that they don’t like waiting in case something gets worse over the waiting time, so they do the procedure first and check afterwards. He thinks it might be some sort of immune thing with me.
They were all very on the ball, as they were when I thought I found a lump many decades ago, and also when my husband fell and broke his nose, they had him in right away and a plastic surgeon fixed it for him. I have no complaints about the NHS.
his explanation about 'biopsies taking too long to come back' seems a bit questionable though ..... i had a suspected bcc cut out of my eyelid in august , It was sent for evaluation and i was told results at follow up appt 4 wks later , the results were possibly available a bit earlier than than that . i think they said it would take 2/3 wks .
Another option they considered was to cut it out with smallest margin, cover the eye for a week until the biopsy came back then go back for surgery to finish off , depending on whether more tissue needed to be removed or just close it up ... so biopsies can clearly be processed within a week if it's deemed necessary.. and there is even something available called MOHS surgery where it can be done in theatre ~ mid-operation.
having said that the speed of getting biopsy results back and the choice to biopsy first / or remove it and biopsy later, must depend to a very large extent on how sure they are about what it is from what it looks like , and where exactly it is ... if mine had been a few mm further away it would have been simple to biopsy first , but given where it was , even a small biopsy would be just as complicated as removing the whole thing.
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Repeat thyroid biopsy 
dr let me down and snotty message on phone
Update on medicheck results
Update
