CGS-authored
Angelina Jolie’s Op-Ed in the New York Times about getting a double mastectomy after learning that she was at risk of getting breast cancer struck a chord with fellow celebs as well as with Los Angeles Times staffers Anna Gorman and Paul Whitefield, who wrote about their own experiences Tuesday.
Jolie’s Op-Ed specifically focuses on BRCA1 and BRCA2, known as the breast cancer genes. “I have always told [my kids] not to worry [about me getting cancer], but the truth is I carry a ‘faulty’ gene, BRCA1, which sharply increases my risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer,” she writes.
So Jolie did what she could to take control of the matter and elected to have all of her breast tissue removed, thereby reducing her chance of developing breast cancer from close to 90% to under 5%. She then wrote about the experience to raise awareness and empower other women.
How much control we, as a society, have over BRCA1 and BRCA2, and human genes in general, however, is yet to be determined.
The BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes...
Jolie’s Op-Ed specifically focuses on BRCA1 and BRCA2, known as the breast cancer genes. “I have always told [my kids] not to worry [about me getting cancer], but the truth is I carry a ‘faulty’ gene, BRCA1, which sharply increases my risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer,” she writes.
So Jolie did what she could to take control of the matter and elected to have all of her breast tissue removed, thereby reducing her chance of developing breast cancer from close to 90% to under 5%. She then wrote about the experience to raise awareness and empower other women.
How much control we, as a society, have over BRCA1 and BRCA2, and human genes in general, however, is yet to be determined.
The BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes...