Angelina Jolie Undergoes Preventive Double Mastectomy

 

Angelina Jolie(37) has undergone a double mastectomy to reduce her chances of getting breast cancer.

Angelina Jolie,mother of six(has 3 biological children and 3 adopted children) has explained her reasons for having the surgery in the New York Times

She said her doctors estimated she had an 87% risk of breast cancer and a 50% risk of ovarian cancer. "I decided to be proactive and to minimize the risk as much I could,"

Family History of Breast Cancer

• About one in five women diagnosed with breast cancer will have a significant family history of the disease
• Having close family members - first-degree relatives like a sister, mother, aunt or uncle - with breast cancer raises a woman's own risk of the disease
• Certain genes such as BRCA1 and BRCA2 are strongly linked with breast cancer and can be detected with genetic tests
• Women carrying the BRCA1 mutation have up to a 65% chance of developing breast cancer by the time they are 70
• Fewer than 1% of women are at high risk of developing breast cancer
• Another 2% of women deemed to be at moderate risk might also benefit from taking preventive breast cancer drugs for five years, say experts