Angelina Jolie is a well-known actress who underwent a preventative double mastectomy.
In 2013, Angelina Jolie publicly announced that she had undergone a double mastectomy after discovering she carried the BRCA1 gene mutation. This mutation significantly increased her risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer. BRCA1 and BRCA2 are tumor suppressor genes; when mutated, they don't function correctly, leading to a higher likelihood of cancer development. By undergoing the mastectomy, Jolie significantly reduced her risk of developing breast cancer. The procedure involves surgically removing the breast tissue.
This decision and her openness about it brought awareness to the importance of genetic testing and preventative measures for women at high risk of breast cancer.
