melanoma biopsies

Larry · New User Joined: 16 Aug 2006 Posts: 8

My dermatologist spotted a mole which he identified as "suspicious for melanoma". Because he wants to remove the entire area (an excisional biopsy), he said that I would need to reschedule and come back for the biopsy. I took the next available appointment which as it turns out, is three weeks out!

Here's my question. Given the seriousness of melanoma, and the critical importance of time, why is it OK to simply schedule the biopsy for a future date (3 weeks) as if there were no hurry?

What am I missing? If it is suspicious, then isn't time of the essence? Am I wrong about this? Or is 3 weeks not considered a lot of time in this equation?

The worst is that it means that I will have to wait about 4 to 4 and a half weeks from now to know the answer.

snormr · New User Joined: 03 Aug 2006 Posts: 6

Hey, Larry...

I'm not lead to believe that waiting 3 weeks is the difference between good and poor prognosis when dealing with melanoma. Sure it's quick growing, but 3 weeks doesn't seem to be an overwhelming amount of time here.

For reference, I was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma of unknown primary on my arm -- back on July 17th from a July 11th biopsy -- and I had that bump on my arm for the better part of 4 months before having it biopsied. Stupid...but I wasn't in the know.

After seeking consults at two major university hospitals where I live, I finally picked a primary group and am scheduled to have this surgically removed on Friday, with a biopsy of nearby lymph nodes to see if there is any spread there. Then I start my optimistic trek toward that 5-year mark.

Call around to more dermatologists in the area. Where do you live?

Rob

Larry · New User Joined: 16 Aug 2006 Posts: 8

Rob:

Thanks for the reply. We are probably all guilty of waitng longer than we should, or alternatively not inspecting our mole "formations" on a regular basis.

But once a suspicious mole (for melanoma) is detected, whether it is after two days or 4 months, one would like to think that both the patient and the Doctor would move as swiftly as reasonably possible.

Believe me, I know that the Doctors are not procrastinating. I think they are just way too busy. I'm thinking that this is a real problem in relation to skin cancer treatment.

From a mathematical standpoint, if elapsed time is indeed a key factor, then an argument could be made that every day counts!

I guess in my frustration and worry, that is the point I was making.

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