On Tuesday, March 24, actress Angelina Jolie Pitt penned an op-ed in The New York Times revealing she had preventative surgery to remove her fallopian tubes and ovaries. The surgery, conducted last week, was driven in part by her family’s medical history. Jolie inherited the BRCA1 gene mutation, which increased her risk of developing breast or ovarian cancer, and her mother, grandmother and aunt died of cancer.
BCRF Scientific Director Dr. Larry Norton and Scientific Advisory Board Chairman Dr. Clifford Hudis comment as follows:
“How to manage hereditary risk is a very personal decision. Angelina Jolie Pitt has done the public a great service by telling her personal story, which might inform discussions between individuals and their chosen experts. BCRF encourages such discussions and continues to support the most advanced research to give women and men more scientific knowledge and more valuable options.”
Jolie’s op-ed can be read on The New York Times here.
At BCRF, we support leading scientists dedicated to the study of inherited susceptibility to breast cancer. Our investigators have participated in pivotal breakthroughs in the field, including Dr. Mary-Claire King of the University of Washington who was the first to identify the location of the BRCA1 gene in 1990 and to show its role in inherited breast and ovarian cancer. Other BCRF researchers continue to study the role BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations play in breast and ovarian cancer.
Click here to learn more about the BCRF grantees committed to the study of hereditary breast cancer.
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