Follow up after non melanoma skin cancer treatment

Checking your skin after treatment

It’s important to check your skin and know how to protect it in the sun. If you spot any signs of another skin cancer between appointments, you should contact your GP or specialist.

Why you might have follow up appointments

You usually have follow up appointments to check how you are and see whether you have any problems or worries. The appointments also give you the chance to raise any concerns you have about your progress.

At your appointments, the doctor will:

• look for signs of the cancer returning (this is rare for many early stage skin cancers)

• see if there are any problems following treatment

• examine for signs of new skin cancer

• make sure you know what to look out for

• check that you know how to protect your skin in the sun

Once you’ve had one skin cancer, you’re more at risk of getting another.

Find out more about how to look after your skin after having skin cancer

How often are my check ups

How often you see your specialist depends on how likely it is for your cancer to come back. Your doctor will make this assessment based on:

• the size and depth of the original cancer

• the type of cancer

• the grade of the cancer (what the cells looked like under the microscope)

• whether you have a weakened immune system

• how many skin cancers you've had

Some skin cancers have a low risk of coming back.  For example, if you have an early stage basal cell carcinoma (BCC) or a low risk squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) you might have:

• a single follow up appointment and then no further follow up appointments 

You might have more regular follow up if you had a SCC with a high risk of it coming back. You might have:

• appointments every 4 to 6 months for at least 5 years

These will be with your GP or specialist.

What happens during the appointments?

At each appointment, your doctor will examine your skin. They may do a full body skin examination. They will also ask about your health and if there’s anything worrying you.

You might have tests to check for signs of the cancer coming back. These can include:

• a skin biopsy

• an ultrasound scan

• CT scan

Between appointments

Remember that the risk of BCC spreading to other parts of the body is extremely low. BCC can come back in the skin close to where it started. But it hardly ever spreads elsewhere.

A SCC has a higher risk of spreading than a BCC. But this is still unusual.

Contact your doctor or specialist nurse if you have any concerns between appointments. You should also contact them if you notice any new symptoms. You don’t have to wait until your next visit.

Many people find their follow up appointments quite worrying. A hospital appointment can bring back any anxiety you had about your cancer.

It can help to tell someone close to you how you’re feeling. Sharing your worries can mean they don’t seem so overwhelming. Many people find it helpful to have counselling during or after cancer treatment.

Read about counselling and how to find a counsellor

You can also find people to share experiences with by using our online forum, CancerChat.

Find out more at CancerChat