Angelina Jolie reveals she had preventative double mastectomy

LOS ANGELES: -- Hollywood superstar Angelina Jolie has undergone a double mastectomy in a preventive surgery against breast cancer, she wrote Tuesday in the New York Times.

Jolie, 37, wrote that she decided to have the operation after learning that she had a "faulty" gene, BRCA1, which "sharply increases my risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer."

"My chances of developing breast cancer have dropped from 87 per cent to under 5 per cent," Jolie wrote. "I can tell my children that they don’t need to fear they will lose me to breast cancer."

Jolie said she completed three months of procedures at the end of April, and decided to go public "because I hope that other women can benefit from my experience."

The celebrity mother of six thanked her partner, Brad Pitt, for his love and support throughout the ordeal, and said she was reassured that her children had found nothing in the results "that makes them uncomfortable."

"I wanted to write this to tell other women that the decision to have a mastectomy was not easy. But it is one I am very happy that I made," she wrote.

"I feel empowered that I made a strong choice that in no way diminishes my femininity.

-- The Nation 2013-05-14

a sensible move imo, my sister & I are currently going through genetic screening as we have a large percentage of pancriatic cancer in the family & although it will be hard to prevent it should it happen, it will place us (and our children) on high risk monitoring lists to hopefully catch it early.

She is very brave.

Well done Angelina...Hope all women can get this checked out at an early stage

post hidden, this topic is not about the state of US healthcare

Good for her, i say. It must have been a very traumatic decision to make. And even if some people poo poo it in the press, she also has her family and mate (drool!!) to think of.

I just hope her natural daughters do not have the same gene.

Brave woman.

It's not about bravery, its about self confidence,

i could not bear cut it off

You probably would if your life was at risk, and you kids would lose theîr mama.

She is a brave woman, and has opened up the fact for other women.

No, i would ask here on thaivisa how to get euthanasia in a hurry

I saw this article and admit I had to have a strong think what I would do if I were in her situation. It seems so extreme but then given her family history and genetic predilection I can see where she is coming from. I am not so sure I would be so brave if I were in her situation. Fortunately, we don't have much cancer in my family. Mostly just heart disease.

Angelina Jolie sliced breast to inhibit cancer

BANGKOK, 16 May 2013 (NNT) - Angelina Jolie has undergone a preventive mastectomy surgery, which involves removing both of her breasts, in order to reduce the risk of developing breast cancer to 5 percent after having been diagnosed with gene mutation disorder.

The news that Hollywood actress superstar Angelina Jolie has undergone a double mastectomy has shocked Hollywood and the movie industry worldwide. The surgery involved removing both her breasts in order to reduce her chances of developing breast cancer after she had been told by her doctors that she carried a faulty gene which put her at risk of developing the deadly disease. Her actor husband Brad Pitt, was very supportive of her throughout the 9 weeks of treatment and recovery.

After the operation, the medical team confirmed that Angelina Jolie's chance of developing breast cancer has been reduced to only 5 percent. Angelina also stated that having her whole breast removed has not made her feel less feminine.


-- NNT 2013-05-16

I saw this article and admit I had to have a strong think what I would do if I were in her situation. It seems so extreme but then given her family history and genetic predilection I can see where she is coming from. I am not so sure I would be so brave if I were in her situation. Fortunately, we don't have much cancer in my family. Mostly just heart disease.

I think no one knows what they would do in a life threatening situation until faced with it.

A greater than 80% risk of breast cancer will change anyone's prirotities in a flash. Risk is one thing, extreme probability is quite another, especially .for the specific type of breast cancer this gene mutation is associated with is unusually lethal and does not respond to many of the usual therapies.

There is not only the risk of death, but the fact that you'd be living in constant fear, having to have constant check ups and dreading the nearly ineveitable....

And of course she has children to consider, some of them still quite young.

And has more than enough $ to have afforded a first rate plastic surgery reconstruction......

UPDATE:
After undergoing double mastectomy Angelina Jolie considers another surgery, now to remove her ovaries

NEW YORK: -- Immediately after undergoing a double mastectomy in order to decrease her risk of developing breast cancer, Angelina Jolie has revealed to the People magazine that she is planning yet another preventive surgery, now to remove her ovaries, the Daily News has reported.

Earlier this week the Oscar-winning actress confessed she underwent a preventative surgery and had her breasts removed after she had learnt she carried the ‘faulty’ gene, BRCA1, and her chances of getting breast cancer had been estimated by doctors at 87% and ovarian cancer – at 50%.

Ms Jolie told as her chances to get breast cancer were higher, she decided to start with the breasts.

On April 27 she finished a three-month medical procedures that the mastectomies involved, the 37-year-old mother of six wrote in her article entitled ‘My Medical Choice’ published in the New York Times on May 14.

According to the People magazine, now the stunning “Salt” actress is considering another surgery, this time to remove her ovaries.

Ms Jolie has a history of cancer: her mother died of ovarian cancer at the age of 56. This fact together with another fact that the actress carries the ‘faulty’ gene, increases her chances to have the disease in future.

Medical experts usually recommend women who carry the ‘faulty gene’ to have their ovaries removed by 40 or by the time they decide to have no more kids.

Full story: http://english.ruvr.ru/news/2013_05_16/After-undergoing-double-mastectomy-Angelina-Jolie-considers-another-surgery-now-to-remove-her-ovaries/

-- THE VOICE OF RUSSIA 2013-05-16

A nonsense trolling post has been removed.

I was wondering if she had had the oopherectomy at the same time. Now we know.

I saw this article and admit I had to have a strong think what I would do if I were in her situation. It seems so extreme but then given her family history and genetic predilection I can see where she is coming from. I am not so sure I would be so brave if I were in her situation. Fortunately, we don't have much cancer in my family. Mostly just heart disease.

I think no one knows what they would do in a life threatening situation until faced with it.

A greater than 80% risk of breast cancer will change anyone's prirotities in a flash. Risk is one thing, extreme probability is quite another, especially .for the specific type of breast cancer this gene mutation is associated with is unusually lethal and does not respond to many of the usual therapies.

There is not only the risk of death, but the fact that you'd be living in constant fear, having to have constant check ups and dreading the nearly ineveitable....

And of course she has children to consider, some of them still quite young.

And has more than enough $ to have afforded a first rate plastic surgery reconstruction......

Presumably having to watch your mother lose a decade long battle to the same disease - as Jolie did - would also affect your thinking a great deal.

I agree too that the money is a significant factor and it's an excellent point: I certainly don't hold it against her nor do I think that wealthy people aren't affected by tragedy, but it's a simple but rarely spoken fact that if money is not a concern that makes a huge difference to those who in times of extreme hardship or grief also have financial constraints or difficulties.

She's an actress that I greatly admire. It's nice to have seen her progression from the 'wild child' to the immensely productive person she is now. I enjoy all her films. Her strength on screen is rivaled only by her strength in real life. These are big challenges.

I wish her the best.

You probably would if your life was at risk, and you kids would lose theîr mama.

She is a brave woman, and has opened up the fact for other women.

My wife had her ovaries removed about the same time this picture was taken:

She never gave it a second thought when the doctor told her she was at high risk for ovarian cancer. I was more doubtful and reluctant on her behalf and wanted second and third opinions. But she just got on with it. Very brave indeed.

My wife always described "Angie" as someone who "loved her mother very much" and it was at that time her mother was battling ovarian cancer herself, which she eventually succumbed to.

Your wife is a strong woman Lanna, thanks for sharing that.

My step mother actually died from breast cancer and battled it off and on for over 20 years so yes, I do understand the risks and the outcome quite well. But I also understand what a mastectomy can do and if you can't afford reconstructive surgery like my mom couldn't, know exactly how it it looks too. Women place a great deal of value in themselves on their appearance and this would be a hard choice for someone who can't afford the plastic surgery later.

I should also add that having a mastectomy does not guarantee the cancer will not just come back somewhere else, a lesson my step mother learned all too well and one that killed her in the end.

Most insurance will I think pay for post-mastectomy reconstruction but of course the level of payment and hence quality of the work can be another matter.

One problem at least that Angelina will not have had. Chances are she still looks fabulous nude....or will once all has healed.

fortunatley in the Uk you can chose to have the reconstruction at the time of the removal & not have to worry about charge. Thanks to socialised healthcare.

Your wife is a strong woman Lanna, thanks for sharing that.

My step mother actually died from breast cancer and battled it off and on for over 20 years so yes, I do understand the risks and the outcome quite well. But I also understand what a mastectomy can do and if you can't afford reconstructive surgery like my mom couldn't, know exactly how it it looks too. Women place a great deal of value in themselves on their appearance and this would be a hard choice for someone who can't afford the plastic surgery later.

I should also add that having a mastectomy does not guarantee the cancer will not just come back somewhere else, a lesson my step mother learned all too well and one that killed her in the end.

She is a strong woman. Very fatalistic and seldom sweats the BIG stuff, things that sometimes stymie me. A little bit niggling sometimes on the small stuff however.

I hear what you're saying about the value women place on appearance and recognize it is often a factor when considering what should be done. I find that tragic and place the blame with the health care system. If health care is meant to make persons healthy and to the greatest extent possible, whole (both physically and psychologically), then the reconstructive surgery should be part and parcel of the surgical protocol. Not something that only the wealthy can afford. In a wealthy country like the US it is just outrageous.

I feel for your mother and stepmother. My mother too had a condition for well over a decade that made her very physically and emotionally fragile and eventually led to her death.

Well knowing her aunt (mother's sister) was dying from breast cancer must have had an effect on her decision

Her aunt recently passed away after losing her battle with breast cancer

http://www.eonline.com/news/423106/exclusive-angelina-jolie-s-aunt-loses-battle-with-breast-cancer?cmpid=rss-000000-rssfeed-365-topstories&utm_source=eonline&utm_medium=rssfeeds&utm_campaign=rss_topstories

She is such an inspiration