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Second Opinion

What is a second opinion?

A second opinion is simply an opinion about your health condition or treatment from a different doctor. You can ask your GP, consultant or hospital unit for a second or further opinion. Although you don’t have a legal right to a second opinion, a healthcare professional will consider your circumstances and whether a second opinion is needed.

Wanting a second opinion after a melanoma diagnosis is completely normal, and it won’t offend your medical team — it’s a recognised and accepted part of your care. People ask for many different reasons, and all of them are valid.

Why you might want a second opinion

  • You’d like reassurance that your diagnosis is correct.
  • You want to feel confident in the treatment plan you’ve been offered.
  • You’d like to understand whether other treatment options might be available to you.
  • You have a rare or complex melanoma and want input from a specialist centre.
  • You simply feel you’d like a fresh perspective before making a decision.

How to ask for one

The most straightforward way is to talk to your GP or your current consultant and explain that you’d like a second opinion. It can feel daunting to raise, but it’s a routine request that doctors deal with regularly. A few things that may help:

  • Be open about why: explaining what’s prompting the request helps your team point you in the right direction.
  • Ask about a specialist centre: for melanoma, you may wish to be seen by a team with particular expertise in skin cancer.
  • Bring someone with you: a family member or friend can offer support and help you take in what’s discussed.
  • Keep your records together: the second doctor will usually want to review your existing test results, scans and notes.

What to expect

A second opinion won’t affect the standard of care you receive, and it doesn’t mean starting from scratch. The new doctor will usually review your existing results and may or may not agree with the original assessment. Sometimes a second opinion confirms the first — which can be reassuring in itself — and sometimes it offers a different perspective to discuss with your team. Either way, the aim is to help you feel informed and confident about your care.

Questions you might ask

  • Do you agree with my diagnosis and staging?
  • Would you recommend the same treatment plan?
  • Are there other treatment options I should consider?
  • Are there any clinical trials that might be suitable for me?
  • What would you do in my situation?

You’re not facing this alone

Deciding whether to seek a second opinion — and taking it in once you have — can feel like a lot to navigate. Whatever stage you’re at, our melanoma support team and community are here to help, and you can read real patient stories from others who’ve faced the same decisions. 💛

Available Treatments

Treatment By Stage

The treatment your team recommends depends heavily on the stage of your melanoma, from stage 0 through to stage 4. Our stage-by-stage guide explains what each one means and the options usually considered at each.
Treatment By Stage

Targeted Therapies

Targeted therapies work on specific genetic changes inside melanoma cells — most commonly in a gene called BRAF — which is why you may be offered a BRAF test. They're an option for people whose melanoma carries these changes.
Targeted Therapies

Surgery for Melanoma

For most people with melanoma, surgery is the first and main treatment — and often the only one needed when the melanoma is found early. It involves removing the melanoma along with a margin of surrounding skin, and sometimes checking nearby lymph nodes.
Surgery for Melanoma
Stage IV Melanoma Treatment Options Decision Guide

Stage IV Melanoma Guide

This booklet is for anyone diagnosed with — or being evaluated for — stage 4 melanoma, the most advanced stage, where the melanoma has spread beyond where it started. It's designed to help you understand and weigh up your treatment options.
Stage IV Melanoma Guide
Second opinion from DR or Melanoma

Second Opinion

It's completely normal to want reassurance about your diagnosis or treatment plan, and you have every right to ask for a second opinion. It won't offend your medical team — it's a recognised part of your care.
Second Opinion
radiotherapy treatment for melanoma

Radiotherapy for Melanoma

Radiotherapy uses carefully targeted radiation to treat melanoma. It isn't used as often as surgery or drug treatments, but it can play a role in certain situations, such as treating melanoma that has spread.
Radiotherapy for Melanoma

Other Therapies

Some less common treatments, such as isolated limb infusion (ILI) and isolated limb perfusion (ILP), may be recommended when melanoma is confined to one area, such as an arm or leg. These deliver treatment directly to the affected limb.
Other Therapies

Learn about BRAF – watch our video

Around half of people diagnosed with melanoma have a change in their cancer cells called a BRAF V600E gene mutation. Watch our short video to understand what BRAF means and why it matters for your treatment options.
Learn about BRAF – watch our video

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy works by helping your own immune system recognise and attack melanoma cells. It's often used for melanoma that has spread or has a higher risk of returning, and several immunotherapy treatments are now available on the NHS.
Immunotherapy
Removal of Melanoma

Excision

Local excision is where the abnormal mole or area of skin is removed and sent to a laboratory for testing. It's a relatively simple operation and is often the first step in diagnosing and treating melanoma.
Excision

Next Steps

Follow up appointments with your GP after Melanoma

FOLLOW UP APPOINTMENTS

Your follow-up care depends on the stage of the melanoma. Follow-up appointments allow your doctor to monitor for possible recurrence of the melanoma.
FOLLOW UP APPOINTMENTS
Aftercare advice to follow after Melanoma

MELANOMA AFTER CARE

It’s important to regularly check yourself for any signs of melanoma. As you have already been diagnosed with melanoma, you are at a higher than average risk of having another melanoma in the future.
MELANOMA AFTER CARE

MELANOMA FURTHER TESTS

If the initial biopsy shows melanoma, you may need further tests. Understanding the extent of the melanoma can help your doctor decide the best treatment option for you.
MELANOMA FURTHER TESTS

MELANOMA SKIN BIOPSY

If your doctor does find a suspicious mole, a sample of tissue is removed (a biopsy) for examination under a microscope. The doctor first numbs the skin with an injection of a local anaesthetic
MELANOMA SKIN BIOPSY
Getting diagnosed for Melanoma

GETTING DIAGNOSED WITH MELANOMA

See your doctor if you develop a new mole or notice a change in an existing mole or area of your skin (including under your nail). Even if you’re worried about what this might be, you shouldn’t delay seeing them. It might not be cancer.
GETTING DIAGNOSED WITH MELANOMA