A couple months later she pointed it out to one of her doctors, who told her it was probably just a benign fatty tumor and not to worry about it. Then, this past spring, she hit her leg against something and the pencil eraser-sized bump became inflamed. She went to another doctor, who told her she had melanoma, or skin cancer.
Early detection can keep cancerous tissue from developing and spreading.
In Allen's case, that would have been especially true, because melanoma is one of the most treatable forms of the disease. But by the time she was diagnosed, the tumor was deeply imbedded. She recently underwent a month of daily chemotherapy treatments at Jackson-Madison County General Hospital, during which she had to take time off her job as human resource manager for the Gibson County Utility District. She will soon give herself shots every other day at home. As a teen and young adult, Allen often sunbathed without any lotion.