Actress Angelina Jolie wrote in the Tuesday New York Times that last week she underwent preventive surgery to remove the ovaries and fallopian tubes for fear of cancer. Almost two years ago, the star decided to have a preventive double mastectomy.
Jolie writes that she announced her decision to help other women who are at risk of cancer learn about prevention options.
In an open letter published in the NYT, the American movie star explained that she had been preparing for this procedure for a long time. She added that she made this difficult decision because she was a carrier of the BRCA1 gene. As a result, doctors estimated her likelihood of developing ovarian cancer to be 50 percent.
It is not easy to make that decision. But you can take control and face any health challenge ahead of time, she pointed out.
In connection with the operation, the 39-year-old wife of actor Brad Pitt, who is raising six children with him, will go through an earlier menopause.
I didn’t do it just because I am a carrier of the BRCA1 gene, she wrote. The presence of the BRCA gene does not mean that you have to undergo such a procedure right away, there are also other possibilities – added Jolie. However, she explained that in her case, the doctors she consulted thought that removal of the ovaries and fallopian tubes was the best option, as three women in her family had died of cancer.
Doctors indicated that Jolie should undergo prophylactic surgery about ten years before the age of her relatives’ first signs of cancer. My mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer when she was 49 years old. I am 39 years old – she wrote. Jolie’s mother died of cancer at the age of 56.
The star emphasized that she is aware of her choices. I know my children will never have to say: + Mom died of ovarian cancer + – she wrote. In May 2013, the actress also announced in the NYT that she decided to have a prophylactic double mastectomy because she is a carrier of the BRCA1 gene, which increased the likelihood of breast cancer up to 87% and ovarian cancer up to 50%. This radical decision by Jolie made many women follow her example, writes the AFP agency. (PAP)