In May 2013, actress Angelina Jolie made an announcement that surprised the whole world:being a carrier of a BRCA 1 gene mutation, she had a very high risk of declaring breast cancer, which had pushed to undergo a preventive double mastectomy. By making this announcement, the actress wanted to talk about breast cancer and encourage prevention. And it is successful, since researchers today speak of an "Angelina Jolie effect".
In a study published in the British Medical Journal , two researchers from Harvard Medical School have tried to see the impact of the announcement of the American actress on the behavior of women. Fifteen days after his column in the New York Times , screening for BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 mutations had increased by 64% compared to the previous 15 days. And 6 months after the announcement, the effect was still visible as screenings were up 37% from pre-announcement rates. As for the impact on mastectomies, it is difficult to say:some studies announce that they have increased, others that they have not…
In any case, one thing is certain:Angelina Jolie will have made it possible to talk about breast cancer and increase prevention. Well done Angie!
