‘Angelina’s decision will spread awareness’

May 17, 2013 - TEENA THACKER |

Age Correspondent

New Delhi

Angelina Jolie’s recent revelation that she has had a preventive double mastectomy to reduce her risk of developing breast cancer, is expected to encourage a lot of women to get gene tested, say health experts in India where around 20-30 women per 100,000 population develop breast cancer at some point in their lives. Praising her decision to go public, experts say this will help raising awareness among women.
Doctors admit that there is very little awareness in India regarding the “faulty” gene and only those people who have a very strong family history opt for double mastectomy. “People have gained awareness regarding the issue but we have seen that women opt for this procedure only when they see that there is a strong family history like the mother, sister and other family member being detected with breast cancer or ovarian cancer,” said Max healthcare’s obstetrics and gynaecology unit head Anuradha Kapur.
According to doctors, in many cases women are unable to undergo for voluntary mastectomy due to apprehensions and societal pressure.
Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie on Tuesday disclosed to have undergone preventive mastectomy in a bid to encourage other women. Jolie took the decision after she got to know that she carried faulty gene-BRCA1-which increased the risk of her developing breast or ovarian cancer.
Doctors say that Jolie’s statement will help spread awareness. “The procedure is offered to patients in the government sector too. The awareness level is likely to increase after this revelation,” said additional professor (AIIMS) Neeta Singh. Another deterrent according to the doctors is the high cost of the procedure. “The test for detecting the gene in women with a family history of breast cancer is expensive at `40,000 per test. This adds as a deterrent to many women,” said another doctor.
As per the data, in India around 20-30 women per 1,00,000 population develop breast cancer at some point in their lives. O f this number, 5-10 per cent contract it due to the defective gene. The faulty gene increases 60 per cent chances of developing with breast cancer. Breast cancer, followed by cervical cancer is most prevalent in India.

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