An accountant has revealed how she caught her deadly skin cancer in the nick of time - after cutting her leg shaving.
Shaving her legs may have saved Kat's life
Kat Caldwell, 30, visited her doctor after a mole she caught with her razor would not stop bleeding.
She was immediately referred to a dermatologist, who made the decision to remove the mole on her left shin.
Consultants then discovered that it was a stage three melanoma and the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes.
The chartered accountant, from Easton, Bristol, is now clear of the cancer and it is believed the early intervention saved her life.
She said: "I was on a weekend away in Edinburgh with my friend. I was shaving my legs and nicked a mole on my left shin.
"I nicked it a few times and my friend told me to get it checked out at the doctors.
"I wasn't concerned at all, but my GP said it looked a bit nasty, and booked me in with a dermatologist.
"They said the mole probably was just angry because I'd nicked it, but they removed it there and then to be on the safe side, and sent it away for tests.
"It was less than two weeks later when I got a call from my GP telling me it was cancer.
"I couldn't believe it, I was only 25 and it was really scary."
Later tests show that the cancer had spread to the lymph nodes in her groin and Kat had further surgery to remove them.
Doctors said there was a 60 per cent chance that the cancer would not return and monitored the area closely.
Kat has now been told she only needs to return to the hospital once a year and it is unlikely that the cancer will return.
She said: "I was so shocked when the dermatologist told me the mole was cancerous. I was young and fit, and I'd never been one for staying out in the sun, or going on sunbeds.
"I've got very pale skin and have always had a lot of moles and freckles - but I'd never really given them too much thought.
"I'm so glad I spotted the change when I did though - it probably saved my life."
Doctors are unable to pinpoint the exact cause of the cancer but Kat remembers being sunburned during a trip to Thailand in 2003 as a student.
She said: "I've always been very aware of looking after my skin. I have always slathered on sun cream.
"But I do remember getting really badly burned on my shins in Thailand. It was so bad that I couldn't walk.
"I'm very lucky I caught my cancer when I did - but I can't stress to people enough how important it is to check your moles."
The number of people developing melanoma - a cancer which usually starts in normal-looking skin or a mole - is continuing to rise.
More than 10,600 people in the UK are diagnosed with melanoma every year - in particular young women.
It is the most common cancer in people aged between 15 and 34 in the UK, with women more likely to develop it on their legs and men on their chests and backs.
