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Lauren's List: Little-Known Facts About Breast Cancer You Need To Know

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- By now, you know October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Pink is popping up everywhere from police departments to athletic fields.

But even with all the awareness raised over the years, there's still a lot that people don't know about the disease.

Today's "Lauren's List" has four little-known facts about breast cancer you need to know.

  1. Not just lumps: Most women are trained to look for lumps in their breasts to detect a problem, but then they might miss other possible symptoms like breast warmth and itching, breast pain lasting several weeks, swelling around the breast, collarbone or armpit or skin thickening or redness in that area.
  1. Male relatives: Yes, men get breast cancer too. That's not a little-known fact. But what you might not know is that you may be more likely to get breast cancer if you have a male relative who's had the disease. This is especially true if it's a close family member like a father, brother or son. If you fall in this group, talk to your doctor about genetic testing to find out if cancer runs in your family.
  1. Weight: According to MD Anderson Cancer Center, being overweight or obese — especially after menopause — may raise your cancer risks.
  1. Survivor Statistics: We often talk about the sad statistics, the ones about how many people die a year from breast cancer... but did you know, there are also currently more than 2.5 million breast cancer survivors in the United States! In fact, death rates from breast cancer have been declining since about 1990, according to breast cancer statistics from the American Cancer Society, with women younger than 50 years of age showing the largest improvement.

PHOTOS: Famous Breast Cancer Survivors

Do you plan to wear pink for Breast Cancer Awareness this month?

Tell me on Facebook or Twitter.

If you have an idea for a future "Lauren's List" send it to lpastrana@cbs.com.

 

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