Angelina Jolie in the News
- Actress Angelina Jolie is currently on the ground in Yemen providing aid to refugees amid the country’s ongoing humanitarian crisis.
- In 2013, Jolie revealed she underwent a preventive double mastectomy after genetic testing showed she had the BRCA1 gene mutation which increased her risk for breast and ovarian cancer.
- Jolie is the face of a potentially new way that doctors and scientists could begin revolutionizing cancer treatment for women. The "Jolie gene" test was created to determine the women who are at the greatest risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer because of BRCA gene mutations. This research could be the difference between preventive surgery versus a simple test for some women.
- Preventive surgeries can take an emotional and physical toll and they aren't for everyone. Still, you should consult your doctor about cancer-risk minimizing efforts if a genetic mutation puts you at a higher risk for disease.
Jolie, 46, has long been an advocate for the people of Yemen. The Academy Award winner is currently on the ground in Yemen where she’s working with the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR). She’s assisting refugees amid the country’s ongoing humanitarian crisis, and she wants people to take a look at what’s going on there when the world may be focused more on the tragedy unfolding in Ukraine.
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“As we continue to watch the horrors unfolding in Ukraine, and call for an immediate end to the conflict and humanitarian access, I’m here in Yemen to support people who also desperately need peace,” she wrote. “The situation here is one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, with one civilian killed or injured every hour in 2022. An economy devastated by war, and over 20 million Yemenis depending on humanitarian assistance to survive.”
The Angelina Jolie Gene Test
And while this news might be gracing your feed today, this is certainly not the first time Jolie has tried to have a positive impact on others. In fact, she’s also brought a lot of attention to important information in the world of cancer and recently become the public face of a potentially new way that doctors and scientists could begin revolutionizing cancer treatment for women. It is called the "Jolie gene" test.
The new test was created to determine the women who are at the greatest risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer because of a specific gene mutation the BRCA gene mutations. This research could be the difference between preventive surgery, such as mastectomies or hysterectomies, versus a simple test for some women.
But why did scientists name their new test after a world-renowned actress? It all goes back to 2013 when Jolie brought BRCA gene mutations to the forefront of people's minds with an op-ed published in The New York Times, where she revealed she had the "faulty" BRCA1 gene mutation. (She wrote the op-ed because her mother died of ovarian cancer in 2007 at 56 years old.)
The actress also revealed that the gene mutation has increased her risk of breast cancer by an estimated 87%, and her risk of ovarian cancer by about 50%.
"Once I knew that this was my reality, I decided to be proactive and to minimize the risk as much (as) I could," Jolie writes. "I made a decision to have a preventive double mastectomy. I started with the breasts, as my risk of breast cancer is higher than my risk of ovarian cancer, and the surgery is more complex."
Before we get into what exactly this new test is, it is important to understand what the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations are. The BRCA1 (BReast CAncer gene 1) and BRCA2 (BReast CAncer gene 2) genes normally help cells repair their DNA damage. But when there’s a change, or mutation, in one of these genes, it increases a woman's risk of getting breast and ovarian cancer. It's important to note that if a parent carries a BRCA gene mutation, there's a 50-50 chance you could be carrying it too.
Genetic Testing and Ovarian Cancer
"I think the most common genes people think about in the cancer genetic testing space are the BRCA genes, the B-R-C-A genes, the one that Angelina Jolie, let's say, had, which was a BRCA1 gene that placed her at risk for breast and ovarian cancer," Dr. Beth Karlan, a gynecologic oncologist at UCLA Medical Center, previously told SurvivorNet in an interview. (Dr. Karlan is also the leader of the "Jolie test" research.)
Dr. Karlan cared for Jolie's mother, Marcheline Bertrand, as she fought ovarian cancer more than a decade ago.
"Having cared for Angelina Jolie's mother, I just wanted Angelina to be around to see her children grow up," she says of the study, which is far from finished, she notes to other media outlets. It could be years before women can get the "Jolie gene" test. However, the latest breakthrough offers serious hope for women with the BRCA gene mutations.
With the help of the "Jolie gene" test, doctors could potentially determine if the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutations are present in a woman's cells, which, in turn, could indicate whether a woman is more likely to develop breast or ovarian cancer.
Dr. Karlan and her team have already figured out how the mutation develops, which was the first step in revolutionizing breast and ovarian cancer treatment for women. How did they do this? Well, they grew mini fallopian tubes an organ in a woman's reproductive system using cells from the blood of women who have had cancer. The researchers then observed the development of the cancer in a lab.
But there is still more work to be done. The next step, Dr. Karlan notes, is to grow fallopian tubes in a lab from women who have the BRCA gene mutations but have not yet developed cancer. This revolutionary research would allow Dr. Karlan and her team to understand how the gene mutations are caused and how they lead to cancer.
Overall, If you're worried about your cancer risk, it's important to speak with your doctor and see what options, like genetic testing, are right for you.
Considerations for Preventative Surgeries
One thing to keep in mind when it comes to preventative surgeries like mastectomies and oophorectomies (ovary removal surgeries) is that these surgeries also have risks of their own and may not be the right choice for everyone.
For someone like Mandy Ginsberg, the former CEO of the Match Group (Match.com, Plenty of Fish, Tinder, etc.), a prophylactic mastectomy and an oophorectomy was the right choice after testing positive for a BRCA mutation. But the surgeries took an emotional toll. She says finding the support you need is important to think about if you undergo these preventative measures.
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"I was going in for my surgery to do an oophorectomy … which is pretty significant, because testosterone leaves your body," Ginsberg previously told SurvivorNet. "I remember talking to the doctor at the time who was going to do the surgery, and I said, 'So, when do I go through menopause?' He was like, 'I don't know … the next few days?' And I was like, 'What?!' I do always remember that when I had these discussions I know there's a lot of amazing male doctors out there but they have not been in our shoes as women."
It is not yet known who will benefit from breast removal when it comes to these moderately risky gene mutations. That being said, it's important for doctors to help patients understand what their individual cancer risks may be based on specific mutations and other factors.
The Pros and Cons of Prophylactic Surgery for Ovarian Cancer
Barbara Dehn, a nurse practitioner at El Camino Women's Medical Group, says that conversations with your doctor are key.
"What we know is when a woman has a genetic mutation that puts her at higher risk for developing ovarian or breast cancer, she has a lot of choices," Dehn previously explained for SurvivorNet. "She does not have to automatically go to surgery… She might decide to freeze her eggs. She might decide that she'll have surgery after 35 and after maybe having one or two pregnancies and breastfeeding her babies. She might decide to wait until she's 40. There's no one right way to go about this if you've been diagnosed with a BRCA1 or 2 mutation."
Protected: Prophylactic Mastectomy For High-Risk Women
Another consideration when it comes to preventative surgeries may be cost since insurance companies vary in terms of whether or not they'll pay for them. According to the National Cancer Institute, many health insurance companies provide policies regarding coverage for prophylactic mastectomy (bilateral or contralateral) and bilateral prophylactic salpingo-oophorectomy for breast and ovarian cancer risk reduction.
"However, the criteria used for considering these procedures as medically necessary may vary among insurance companies," the NCI website states. "Some insurance companies may require a second opinion or a letter of medical necessity from the health care provider before they will approve coverage of any surgical procedure. A woman who is considering prophylactic surgery to reduce her risk of breast and/or ovarian cancer should discuss insurance coverage issues with her doctor and insurance company before choosing to have the surgery."
Contributing: Sydney Schaefer
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