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Your doctor will examine your skin and should be able to decide whether you need to be referred for further assessment. Some doctors take digital photographs of any suspected tumors, so that they can email the pictures to a specialist for assessment.
If skin cancer is suspected, you will be referred to a skin specialist (dermatologist). The dermatologist should be able to confirm the diagnosis by carrying out a physical examination.
However, it is likely that they will also want to perform a biopsy, which is a surgical procedure where either a small part, or all, of the tumor is removed so that it can be studied under a microscope. This will allow the dermatologist to determine what type of of skin cancer you have, and whether there is any chance that the cancer could spread to other parts of your body.
Further tests may be required
Sometimes, skin cancer can be diagnosed and treated at the same time - the tumor can be removed and tested.
If you have basal cell carcinoma, and you have a biopsy that completely removes the tumor, you may not need any further treatment because the cancer is unlikely to spread.
If you have squamous cell carcinoma, and you have a biopsy that completely removes the tumor, further tests may be needed to make sure that the cancer has not spread to another part of your body.
These tests may include a physical examination of your lymph nodes (glands found throughout your body, such as in your neck or arms). If cancer has spread, it may cause your glands to swell.
If the dermatologist feels that there is a high risk of the cancer spreading, it may be necessary to perform a biopsy on a lymph node.
Other tests
Other tests that are sometimes used in cases of skin cancer to check to see if the cancer has spread are described below.
