Actress Angelina Jolie Reveals She Had Preventive Surgery To Remove Ovaries, Fallopian Tubes
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Actress Angelina Jolie announced Monday she has had another preventive surgery after doctors found a small, benign tumor on one of her ovaries.
The 39-year-old wrote in The New York Times she had her ovaries and Fallopian tubes removed last week to reduce the threat of cancer.
"My mother's ovarian cancer was diagnosed when she was 49. I'm 39," she wrote. "Regardless of the hormone replacements I'm taking, I am now in menopause. I will not be able to have any more children, and I expect some physical changes. But I feel at ease with whatever will come, not because I am strong but because this is a part of life. It is nothing to be feared."
"There is more than one way to deal with any health issue. The most important thing is to learn about the options and choose what is right for you personally."
In 2013, the actress underwent a double mastectomy after doctors told her she had an 87 percent chance of developing breast cancer and a 50 percent risk of ovarian cancer because she carries the BRCA1 gene. Jolie's mother died of breast cancer at the age of 56.
"It is not easy to make these decisions. But it is possible to take control and tackle head-on any health issue. You can seek advice, learn about the options and make choices that are right for you. Knowledge is power," she said.
For information and resources about preventive measures, visit Susan G. Komen online. To view previous reports by CBS2/KCAL9 on the BRCA1 gene and breast cancer, click here.
CBS2's Michele Gile spoke with a local woman who underwent the same surgery Jolie did, for the same reason. Like Jolie, Sharon Jones carries the BRCA1 faulty gene, and made a decision based on the options she discovered she had.
"For my family history, I had a sister with breast cancer two times, and then a sister who passed away of ovarian cancer," Jones said. "So, I knew that this was what I wanted to do."
A number of local doctors, including gynecologic oncologist Krish Tewari, say they applaud Jolie's decision to take action in order to prevent contracting cancer.
"Ovarian cancer is the No. 1 gynecologic cancer killer in women in America," Tewari said. "The reason is that it's impossible to detect early. There's no screening test."
For many who contract the disease, by the time the cancer is discovered, it is likely that it may have already spread to another part of the body. Doctors say it is vital for women to investigate their family history.
"For patients who have a family history of ovarian cancer, especially in first-degree relatives, then they need to seek guidance from a medical professional to get genetic testing and to be screened," physician Fong Liu said.