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Angelina Jolie Gets Double Mastectomy
"I feel empowered that I made a strong choice that in no way diminishes my femininity" says Angelina Jolie, in an announcement that she has had a preventative double mastectomy, in wake of a medical scare that determined her chances of developing a breast cancer at 87%.
The Oscar winning 37 year old actress starts her heartfelt letter talking about her mother, who lost her life to a battle with breast cancer at age 56. She describes the pain of knowing her younger children will never get to be loved by their grandmother.
According to nytimes.com the actress has inherited it from her mother, Jolie has a rare BRCA1 faulty gene,which puts her at a 50% and 87% risk of developing ovarian and breast cancers, respectively. Her decision to go for a double mastectomy was a difficult one, she tells us, but one that has made her very happy, as it translated into her children not having to live with the fear of losing their mother to the same deadly disease.
Mastectomy is the surgery to remove the entire breast. All of the breast tissue is removed, sometimes along with other nearby tissues. Jolie decided to go for a double mastectomy to reduce her risks, having doctors remove both her natural breasts, to be replaced by implants. She does admit that while this radical procedure was a good choice for her, the case is different for every woman. This is confirmed by the American Cancer Society, which provides various cases in which double mastectomy may be necessary:
- Women who have already had radiation therapy to the affected breast
- Women with 2 or more areas of cancer in the same breast that are too far apart to be removed through 1 surgical incision, while keeping the appearance of the breast satisfactory
- Women whose initial BCS along with re-excision(s) has not completely removed the cancer
- Women with certain serious connective tissue diseases such as scleroderma or lupus, which may make them especially sensitive to the side effects of radiation therapy
- Pregnant women who would require radiation while still pregnant (risking harm to the fetus)
- Women with large tumors (greater than 5 cm [2 inches] across) that didn't shrink very much with neoadjuvant chemotherapy
- Women with inflammatory breast cancer
- Women with a cancer that is large relative to their breast size
It must be noted, however, that studies following thousands of women for more than 20 years show that when BCS(breast-constructive surgery) can be done, doing mastectomy instead does not provide any better chances of survival. The American Cancer Society highly suggests that women do not jump into getting a mastectomy, rather they should take their time to weigh out the pros and cons of each available option with their surgeon, before coming to a conclusion.
Jolie's entire surgery process took approximately twelve weeks. The process started with "nipple delay", that drew blood flow to the area, and increased the chances of saving the nipple. This was followed two weeks later by removal of the breast tissue, which was subsequently replaced with temporary fillers. Nine weeks later, reconstruction of the breasts took place with the use of implants. The results, she says, "can be beautiful".
World Health Organization statistics stipulate that among cancers, breast cancer is the biggest killer of women in both developed and third-world countries. Most of these women belong to lower income families, which renders them unable to get adequate medical testing done to fight the difficult battle.
"I choose not to keep my story private because there are many women who do not know that they might be living under the shadow of cancer. It is my hope that they, too, will be able to get gene tested, and that if they have a high risk they, too, will know that they have strong options."
Sources:
The American Cancer Society
image source:desimartini.com
Farah Khan
Author
Farah joined ANOKHI LIFE while finishing up her degree in English Literature and Writing at the University of Toronto. Her position since then has expanded across all departments, everything from office administration and corporate affairs, to ANOKHI's online presence and events. . .
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