Imagine if you learned you carried a gene that gave you an 87 percent chance of developing cancer.
Actress Angelina Jolie faced those odds, and took what many call a courageous step: she opted for a double mastectomy. But taking the step is not the only courageous thing she did – she also took her decision public, in the hopes of empowering others to seek out the test if they are at risk.
Jolie, who lost her mother to cancer, carries the BRCA1 gene mutation. The mutation is inherited, with a 50-50 percent chance of passing it on to your children, according to Time magazine.
The test is expensive, costing up to $4,000, and most insurers require that patients meet a specific threshold of needing the test before they will cover the cost.
And the mutation isn't that common. According to the Mayo Clinic, 1 in 400 people carry BRCA mutations, which account for just 5 to 10 percent of breast cancers and 15 percent of ovarian cancers.
While the odds of having the mutation are small, the peace of mind the test can provide – should it be negative – is tremendous.
And should the test be positive, there are so many advantages to knowing. Those positive results, as grim as they are, give someone the ability to take preventative steps in their battle now, before the disease strikes.
A potential patient suddenly has something others do not – a sense of empowerment, because it's very rare to be able to make informed decisions ahead of time when it comes to cancer.
And there are more options than removing the tissue, as Jolie did. According to cancer.gov, other possibilities include surveillance, in order to catch the disease as early as possible, or chemoprevention, which involves taking medication to reduce the risk of developing cancer.
Jolie wrote a column in the New York Times to announce her decision and procedure. In it, she notes, “I chose not to keep my story private because there are many women who do not know that they might be living under the shadow of cancer. It is my hope that they, too, will be able to get gene tested, and that if they have a high risk they, too, will know that they have strong options.
“Life comes with many challenges. The ones that should not scare us are the ones we can take on and take control of.”
Ultimately, our health is one thing we often want the most control of, but it's often hard to gain. Jolie has set a strong, positive example of how to handle it gracefully.
Actress Angelina Jolie faced those odds, and took what many call a courageous step: she opted for a double mastectomy. But taking the step is not the only courageous thing she did – she also took her decision public, in the hopes of empowering others to seek out the test if they are at risk.
Jolie, who lost her mother to cancer, carries the BRCA1 gene mutation. The mutation is inherited, with a 50-50 percent chance of passing it on to your children, according to Time magazine.
The test is expensive, costing up to $4,000, and most insurers require that patients meet a specific threshold of needing the test before they will cover the cost.
And the mutation isn't that common. According to the Mayo Clinic, 1 in 400 people carry BRCA mutations, which account for just 5 to 10 percent of breast cancers and 15 percent of ovarian cancers.
While the odds of having the mutation are small, the peace of mind the test can provide – should it be negative – is tremendous.
And should the test be positive, there are so many advantages to knowing. Those positive results, as grim as they are, give someone the ability to take preventative steps in their battle now, before the disease strikes.
A potential patient suddenly has something others do not – a sense of empowerment, because it's very rare to be able to make informed decisions ahead of time when it comes to cancer.
And there are more options than removing the tissue, as Jolie did. According to cancer.gov, other possibilities include surveillance, in order to catch the disease as early as possible, or chemoprevention, which involves taking medication to reduce the risk of developing cancer.
Jolie wrote a column in the New York Times to announce her decision and procedure. In it, she notes, “I chose not to keep my story private because there are many women who do not know that they might be living under the shadow of cancer. It is my hope that they, too, will be able to get gene tested, and that if they have a high risk they, too, will know that they have strong options.
“Life comes with many challenges. The ones that should not scare us are the ones we can take on and take control of.”
Ultimately, our health is one thing we often want the most control of, but it's often hard to gain. Jolie has set a strong, positive example of how to handle it gracefully.