

Her courage pushed a deeply sensitive issue into the spotlight.”Ī study published last year in Breast Cancer Research uncovered a similar burst in popularity overseas: Referrals to breast cancer clinics more than doubled in the United Kingdom after Jolie wrote about her first procedure. “It takes a lot of courage for someone to be willing to share their private health care with the world. “Since then, every, single patient in my program has brought up Angelina Jolie,” said Fishman, whose program treats more than 2,000 women annually. “Angelina is using her celebrity in a heroic way, and she’s going to reach millions of people worldwide.”įishman estimates interest in genetic testing at Mount Sinai Hospital, one of New York’s largest medical centres, has nearly doubled since 2013. “A Nobel laureate could give the same message, and it might reach only a handful of people,” said David Fishman, director of the Mount Sinai Ovarian Cancer Risk Assessment Program in New York City. Two years ago, in an equally explosive op-ed, Jolie shared her choice to have a double mastectomy. She also lost her grandmother and aunt to cancer.

Researchers have dubbed this phenomenon “the Angelina Jolie effect.”Īfter undergoing genetic testing, Jolie, 39, discovered she carries a gene mutation that gives her an estimated 87 per cent risk of breast cancer and a 50 per cent risk of ovarian cancer. Her essay, urging readers to “take control and tackle head-on any health issue,” climbed the Times’ “Most Emailed” list.ĭoctors say the buzz will likely drive more women to consider genetic testing and, perhaps, elective surgeries that research shows can drastically reduce the risk of cancer. Last week Jolie underwent a laparoscopic bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy to remove her ovaries and Fallopian tubes.Īngelina Jolie has ovaries and fallopian tubes removedĪfter Jolie’s piece published Tuesday, “Angelina Jolie Pitt” quickly began trending internationally on Twitter. Jolie’s mother died at age 56 after a decade-long battle with breast cancer. “I know my children will never have to say, ‘Mom died of ovarian cancer.’ ” “I feel feminine, and grounded in the choices I am making for myself and my family,” the actress wrote in a powerful op-ed for The New York Times. Angelina Jolie, mother of six, whipped the Internet into a frenzy Tuesday after announcing her decision to have her ovaries removed in an elective surgery meant to prevent cancer.
