The media coverage of the double mastectomy undergone by Angelina Jolie in breast cancer prevention has marked memories. In the United States and the United Kingdom, genetic tests and screening have doubled.
Cancer specialists talk about the Angelina Jolie effect. Since the American actress revealed in May 2013 that she had undergone a double mastectomy to prevent a form of breast cancer to which her genetic heritage exposed her, oncogenetics consultations are always full. Thanks to the media coverage of this approach, many women born into at-risk families have dared to take the plunge and undergo genetic testing to find out if they are carriers of the BRCA 1 or 2 gene mutations exposing them to a risk of breast cancer in 40 to 80% of cases.
A short-term effect? Not really, because even more than a year after the revelation of the American actress, women continue to worry about this aspect of their health.
The number of genetic tests has doubled (USA, UK)
Indeed, in a study presented a few days ago at the congress of the American Oncology Society, researchers compared the number of tests carried out six months before the revelation of the operation of the actress, and after it. , in a Canadian academic center located in Ontario.
As a result, the number of women who consulted for genetic testing increased by 85%, leading to an increase in the number of tests performed by 99%.
In addition, this phenomenon is also observed in the United Kingdom. According to a study published in the journal Breast Cancer Research, there, genetic tests and breast cancer screenings more than doubled in the months following Angelina Jolie’s announcement (June and July 2013). According to this new research carried out on British databases (12 clinics and 9 British genetics centers), general practitioners are even inundated with questions around this subject during their consultations.
Less feared care strategies
More interestingly, this increase in testing was confirmed throughout the year following the announcement of the American actress. The researchers therefore believe that this effect will continue.
To explain this, Gareth Evans of Saint Mary’s Hospital in Manchester (lead author of the study) confides that Angelina Jolie is “the symbol of a strong woman in control of her life brilliantly. The fact that such a personality publicly announces his decision has given women courage, ”he says.
In addition, this researcher explains that “the media coverage around the detection of the BRCA1 gene also improved with this event. According to him, many women had never heard of this test before the announcement of the actress.
In addition, before, the double mastectomy was seen as a modification of the body which made lose the femininity. “Seeing Angelina Jolie continue to assume her role of mother and actress while remaining a desirable woman, the fears related to this preventive removal of the breast have (partly) disappeared”, thinks this scientist.
Finally, last year Angelina Jolie also revealed the death of her mother at the age of 56 because of breast cancer. “Women all over the world have therefore become aware of the importance of family predispositions and all those whose antecedents may show signs of cancer are more willing to go for the screening test,” concludes Gareth Evans.
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