There's a reason why some people call her St. Jolie. Angelina Jolie, one of the highest-paid and multi-awarded actresses in Hollywood, has just created the "Angelina Jolie effect," which increased the number of women taking breast cancer screening tests in the United Kingdom.
In an essay published by the New York Times on May 14, 2013, Jolie detailed her relationship with breast cancer. Her mother, Marcheline Bertrand, died on January 2007 after a long fight against the disease. In the said piece, she also confessed carrying the faulty gene, which increased her risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer to 87% and 50% respectively.
She decided to take action by undergoing a preventive double mastectomy, a procedure that lasted for about 3 months, eventually dropping her risk to only 5%. Moreover, she hoped that by sharing her story, women will be encouraged to be more proactive.
She didn't fail.
In a study published on September 19, 2014, a team of researchers obtained their needed data between 2012 and 2013 from facilities that manage individuals with family history of breast cancer. These clinics had also participated in previous studies about early-stage breast cancer. The team had also generated referral data from over 5 genetics centers.
Upon their analysis, they discovered that the participating centers and clinics experienced a significant increase of breast cancer screening referrals since May 2013, around the same time Jolie released her article. It more than doubled during the months of June and July and at least two times higher until October 2013. Particularly, more women had made inquiries on risk reduction and had requested for genetic testing.
While heredity accounts to only 5% to 10% of breast cancer cases, the risk can go as high as 90% for women who carry certain mutations such as BRCA1 and BRCA2.
Although many celebrities had opened up about their breast cancer struggles before Jolie, Professor Gareth Evans, one of the authors, believes the latter's image of strength and beauty helped create more impact on women by reducing their fear of the effects of mastectomies.
