October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and with it comes a flurry of activities meant to raise awareness for the disease. Runs, fundraisers, promos—you name it! But it’s one thing to support a cause and quite another to really understand the risks of the disease and why you should personally care. Knowing which non-hereditary factors may increase your risk of developing breast cancer or why Angelina Jolie (and many other women after her) opted to get a mastectomy may one day save your life. Here, we share 15 facts about breast cancer you need to know.

(Photo by williami5 via Flickr Creative Commons)