Patient information from BMJ

Melanoma: questions to ask your doctor

Last published:Jan 17, 2022

If you're worried that one of your moles may be skin cancer, you should see your doctor as soon as you can.

Here are some questions you might want to ask:

Could my mole be a melanoma?
Will I have surgery to remove part of the mole to check whether it is cancer or will I need to have all of it removed?
How advanced is my cancer (if you have melanoma)? What stage is it?
What treatment do you recommend?
What are the risks of treatment?
Do people in my family have a raised risk of getting melanoma?
What can I do to protect myself from another melanoma?
What do you think is likely to happen to me?

And here are some questions your doctor may ask you:

Has anyone in your family ever had a melanoma?
Have you ever had any type of skin cancer?
Did you have bad sunburn when you were a child?
Have any of your moles changed their colour, shape, size, or texture?

The patient information from BMJ Best Practice is regularly updated. The most recent version of Best Practice can be found at bestpractice.bmj.com. This information is intended for use by health professionals. It is not a substitute for medical advice. It is strongly recommended that you independently verify any interpretation of this material and, if you have a medical problem, see your doctor.

Please see BMJ's full terms of use at: bmj.com/company/legal-information. BMJ does not make any representations, conditions, warranties or guarantees, whether express or implied, that this material is accurate, complete, up-to-date or fit for any particular purposes.

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