In May 2013, Angelina Jolie revealed to the media that she had undergone a preventive double mastectomy after testing positive for a BRCA1 gene mutation. Media coverage has been extensive, but it is not clear how such a personal story affected the public and cancer genetics clinics.
Angelina Jolie elected to proceed with prophylactic double mastectomy after undergoing genetic screening and learning that she had a significantly elevated risk of developing breast cancer due to mutation of the BRCA1 gene. As a member of her surgical team, I was deeply moved by her courage and benevolence as Ms. Jolie shared with the world her journey through mastectomy, breast reconstruction and recovery.
