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Skin cancer referrals

Diagnosing and treating common and rare skin cancers

Who can refer

Patients must be referred by a health care professional or relevant member of staff.

Secondary referrals from the South East Network and tertiary referrals from any UK centre are accepted. Referrals from outside the UK can be accepted with prior authorisation.

How to refer

Please read the referral criteria below. If the patient meets the criteria, send your referral by post or fax (preferably with previous histology slides and/or blocks) to:

  • Skin cancer unit
    St John's Institute of Dermatology
    Staircase C, South Wing
    St Thomas' Hospital
    Westminster Bridge Road
    London SE1 7EH

  • For lymphoma, graft versus host disease or melanoma
    Fax: 020 7188 8145

    For all other referrals
    Fax: 020 7188 6377
    Email: skintumour@gstt.nhs.uk

Patients are usually seen within 10 working days.

Referral criteria

  • Referral criteria for melanoma

    • patients with primary cutaneous melanoma and a Breslow thickness usually greater than 1mm
    • patients referred for consideration of sentinel node biopsy
    • patients with advanced stage 3 and 4 melanoma
    • patients for consideration of entry into clinical trials

    NB: patients with pigmented lesions for diagnosis are not accepted

  • Referral criteria for cutaneous lymphoma

    • patients for diagnostic assesment of any possible primary cutaneous lymphoma (primary cutaneous B and T-cell lymphomas and other cutaneous heamatologic malignancies)
    • patients with primary cutaneous lymphomas for management advice/staging
    • patients with all stages and subtypes of primary cutaneous lymphomas for entry into clinical trials
  • Referral criteria for rare skin cancers 

    • Merkel Cell Carcinoma: patients should be referred as for melanoma
    • Kaposi sarcoma/angiosarcoma: patients should be referred as for cutaneous lymphoma
  • Referral criteria for non-melanoma skin cancer 

    Patients with high risk BCC or SCC and other rarer skin cancers such as Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans should be referred to the dermatologic surgery service.