OYMWA
March 26, 2015, 1:42am
17
Re: Angelina Jolie had surgery to remove ovaries
H.pylori is a bacterial infection that can be easily treated, so no surgeon in their right mind would offer gastrectomy. Even if someone develops H.pylori associated MALT lymphoma, first thing to do is to treat the infection.
Jolie didn’t do this because she’s crazy, or because she has the money to offer a crazy surgeon to operate on her (of which there may be some). Jolie got the gene from her mother/maternal side, her mother, aunt, and maternal grandmother all died due to ovarian or breast cancers. Jolie was rightfully tested. Ballpark figures, but upto to 80% of women who carry that gene will develop breast cancer, and upto 50% will develop ovarian cancer, there’s clear data in medical literature that documents this. Hence if someone carried the gene knowing the odds were not in their favor, and that they will likely develop cancer at some point in their lives because of this gene, why would you not be proactive? Why wait till it occurs and deal with the emotional, psychological, physical, life-limiting impact of it on not only yourself, but your families? Having either your breasts or ovaries removed are huge decisions that impact women, two very things that make you a ‘woman’. Most women love their breasts, and their ovaries - but they are not required for sustenance of life, if that makes sense.
What Jolie is doing is raising awareness in women who many not otherwise have that discussion with their physician. In order to get to breast/ovarian emoval for genetic mutation, you need to consult with multiple physicians: breast/gyn surgeon, oncologist, genetic counselor, etc. So it’s not like healthcare providers are holding their knives waiting for gullible women to come through so they can take their ovaries/breasts out. Its a lengthy process, that takes multiple discussions and risks/benefits are discussed, and patients make informed decisions.
I get it why she did it. There was like a 87% probability that she could get breast cancer because of BRCA1 gene. I am trying to draw parallels to other signals, and H pylori came to mind. Now I don’t know what percent of people that get H Pylori infections go on and eventually get esophageal cancer, but wouldn’t you say by having full or partial gasterectomy they will be minimizing that risk?