Angelina Jolie Reveals She Had Double Mastectomy to Prevent Breast Cancer Lesley Messer - ABC News
go to original May 14, 2013

Angelina Jolie undergoes preventive double mastectomy. (ABC)

Angelina Jolie has always been outspoken about issues that matter to her, and now, for the first time, she's revealing a very personal one: her decision to undergo a preventive double mastectomy after discovering she carries the BRCA1 gene, which increases the risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer.

"My doctors estimated that I had an 87 percent risk of breast cancer and a 50 percent risk of ovarian cancer, although the risk is different in each woman," she writes today in a New York Times op-ed. "Once I knew that this was my reality, I decided to be proactive and to minimize the risk as much as I could."

Jolie, 37, lost her mother in 2007 to ovarian cancer, and she explains in the article that her six children with partner Brad Pitt contributed to her decision to have the surgery - and now, she's speaking out about it to educate other women in her situation about their options.

Read the rest at ABC News

Video: Jolie Genetic Cancer Risk High but Rare

Angelina Jolie says she wants to help other women by discussing her double mastectomy and genetic predisposition for breast and ovarian cancer. While the actress's genetic cancer risk was very high, it's also fairly rare. (Associated Press)

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