Breast Cancer After Pregnancy: Prevention
It was a fear of mutation within these genes that caused Angelina Jolie to recently opt for a preventative double mastectomy. According to her May 14, 2013 interview with the New York Times, Jolie’s doctors determined that she has a mutated BRCA1 gene and an 87 percent risk of breast cancer and 50 percent risk of ovarian cancer.
While only a fraction of breast cancers are a result of an inherited gene mutation, people with a BRCA1 defect have a 65 percent chance of getting the disease. It cannot go without note that Jolie’s mother died at the age of 57 after battling cancer.
Jolie is not the first celebrity to undergo a preventative mastectomy ““ Sharon Osbourne underwent the procedure in 2012 and earlier this year, 24-year-old Miss America contestant, Allyn Rose, announced she was going to undergo the procedure due to a strong family history of breast cancer.