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Women hail 'brave' Jolie's mastectomy revelation

Agence France-PresseMay 14, 2013 16:00
Health activists, doctors and movie fans hailed glamorous Hollywood megastar Angelina Jolie on Tuesday for her decision to reveal that she had had her breasts removed to reduce her cancer risk. The 37-year-old actress underwent a double mastectomy to minimize the risk that she might develop breast cancer as a result of inheriting a "faulty gene," and chose to publicize her surgery as an example to other women and mothers.

What are the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes? Primer on genetic mutations linked to cancers

The Canadian PressMay 14, 2013 14:04
TORONTO - Angelina Jolie's bombshell revelation of her double mastectomy due to a genetic cancer risk has brought renewed attention to specific genes linked to the development of both breast and ovarian cancers. The Oscar-winning actress revealed in an op-ed piece in the New York Times that she carries the "faulty" BRCA1 gene and opted to remove her breasts as a preventive measure. BRCA1 stands for breast cancer susceptibility gene 1. Both BRCA1 and BRCA2 are genes known as tumour suppressors, which normally prevent cancer from developing.

Surgery can dramatically reduce genetic cancer risk

Agence France-PresseMay 14, 2013 12:03
Women whose genes put them at a high risk of contracting breast cancer can dramatically reduce the danger by having a double mastectomy -- but not eliminate it altogether, experts say. The issue has been thrown into the spotlight with Hollywood star Angelina Jolie's announcement that she had her breasts surgically removed after tests revealed she carried a genetic mutation that can lead to cancer. Rocker Ozzy Osbourne's wife, Sharon, did the same last year.

US study sees uptick in breast cancer in younger women

February 27, 2013 07:46
The incidence of advanced breast cancer among women aged 25 to 39 in the United States has increased over the past thirty years, a study said Wednesday. Published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the study found that cases increased from 1.53 per 100,000 in 1976 to 2.90 per 100,000 in 2009. According to the researchers, that represents an average compounded increase of 2.07 percent per year over the 34-year period.

Cases of advanced breast cancer inching up in young women

February 26, 2013 20:45
Feb 27 (Reuters) - More young women are being diagnosed with advanced, metastatic breast cancer than were three decades ago, according to a U.S. study, with the metastatic breast cancer rate in particular rising about two percent each year. Yet the overall rate of cancers in that group is still small. One in 173 women will develop breast cancer before she turns 40, said researchers whose report appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association - but the prognosis tends to be worse for younger patients.

Advanced breast cancer inching up in young women -U.S. study

February 26, 2013 18:16
By Genevra and Pittman Feb 26 (Reuters Health) - More young women are being diagnosed with advanced, metastatic breast cancer than were three decades ago, a new study said, but the overall rate of cancer in that group is still small. One in 173 women will develop breast cancer before she turns 40, researchers said, and the prognosis tends to be worse for younger patients.

Cancer gene mutation linked to earlier menopause: study

January 29, 2013 20:45
Jan 30 (Reuters) - Women who carry the BRCA mutations tied to breast and ovarian cancer may hit menopause a few years earlier than other women, according to a U.S. study of nearly a thousand women. Doctors already discuss with those women whether they want immediate surgery to remove their ovaries and breasts, or if they want to start a family first and hold off on ovary removal.

ANALYSIS-In war against cancer, progress is in the eye of the beholder

January 8, 2013 09:56
* Deaths rates fell an average 1.5 percent per year, 2000 to 2009 * In men, mortality rose for melanoma, cancers of liver and pancreas * Much of improvement in incidence, mortality reflects less smoking By Sharon Begley NEW YORK, Jan 7 (Reuters) - As the United States enters the fifth decade of its "war on cancer," deaths continue to decline, according to an exhaustive report based on official data released on Monday.
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