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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Hilary Osborne

The secret world of breast cancer: 17 surprising things I wish I’d known

‘It’s reassuring to know that everything that happens to you has happened to someone else …’ Hilary Osborne.
‘It’s reassuring to know that everything that happens to you has happened to someone else …’ Hilary Osborne. Illustration: KIKA KLAT/The Guardian

October is breast cancer awareness month. You are probably aware of breast cancer in some way. I was – for much of my childhood my mum was undergoing treatment for it, and shortly before I turned 10, she died from it. But despite that experience, I was blissfully unaware of many things about breast cancer until I was diagnosed with it last summer. Here are some of the things I know now that I wish I had known then.

1. There are many different types of breast cancer

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