Watch: Concerned about a mole or a skin lesion?

A pop-up clinic will be open at the King Edward Road Surgery on 26th June between 10am and 2pm, for people to have any moles or skin lesions they are concerned about checked by a specialist nurse and advice about keeping safe in the sun. If further investigation is needed a letter will be given to the patient to pass on to a GP requesting action to be taken.

Early detection of skin cancer is key in order to start life-saving treatment quickly but sometimes these small things go unchecked.

Shirley, a dermatology patient from NGH, warns about the need to see a clinician as soon as you notice anything unusual.

Shirley said "I noticed just a tiny lump on the back of my calf in June last year, there was no surface blemish. Thankfully, I was quickly referred, scanned and had the lump removed, but that's when they told me that I had cancer.”

"The dermatology team at Northampton General Hospital are incredible and have been amazing from start to finish. They didn't frighten me, but they told me the truth and gave me so much information”.

"It's not just moles that need checking out, it’s anything unusual on your skin, it's better to be sure. It might be nothing but if it is, you need treatment. With melanoma, you don't feel ill like with other types of cancer, it's a sneaky thing - so it's so important to get checked out if you’re not sure."

Shirley is now receiving immunotherapy and her recent CT scans are clear.

Hayley Masters, dermatology nurse at NGH says “Recent studies have found there has been an increase in malignant melanoma cases due to past exposure to the sun. It's OK to enjoy yourself but be safe. With summer fast approaching it is important that we use sun protection. This is one of the reasons why we are doing the event to give advice on how to stay safe in the sun.”