Angelina Jolie has double mastectomy

[redred]

http://i.imgur.com/EVeQ67a.jpg


Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie has undergone a double mastectomy to reduce her chances of getting breast cancer.

The 37-year-old mother of six has explained her reasons for having the surgery in the New York Times.

She said her doctors estimated she had an 87% risk of breast cancer and a 50% risk of ovarian cancer. "I decided to be proactive and to minimise the risk as much I could," she wrote.

She said the process began in February and was completed by the end of April.

She said she had sought to reassure her children that the same illness would not take her away from them, "but the truth is I carry a 'faulty' gene, BRCA1, which sharply increases my risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer".

She said that once she "knew that this was my reality", she had taken the decision to undergo the nine weeks of complex surgery required to have a double mastectomy.

Her chances of developing breast cancer have now dropped from 87% to under 5%, she said.

She praised her partner, Brad Pitt, for his love and support throughout the procedure, and said she was reassured that her children had found nothing in the results "that makes them uncomfortable".

"I feel empowered that I made a strong choice that in no way diminishes my femininity," she said.

"For any woman reading this, I hope it helps you to know you have options," Ms Jolie went on to say.

"I want to encourage every woman, especially if you have a family history of breast or ovarian cancer, to seek out the information and medical experts who can help you through this aspect of your life, and to make your own informed choices."

The award-winning actress and director is also a long-time supporter of humanitarian causes. She is currently a UN special envoy.

During the period she was undergoing the double mastectomy procedure, Ms Jolie visited the Democratic Republic of Congo with UK Foreign Secretary William Hague - and attended the G8 summit of foreign ministers in London - to raise awareness over sexual violence in conflict.

She also helped launch a charity to fund girls' education set up by the Pakistani schoolgirl activist Malala Yousafzai who was shot by the Taliban last October.

Ms Jolie has three biological children and three adopted children with Brad Pitt.

Emma Parlons, a 38-year-old mother from London who had the operation three years ago, welcomed Angelina Jolie's decision to raise awareness of the issue.

Ms Parlons said her risk of getting breast cancer was the same as the actress's. "If somebody said your flight across the Atlantic was 86% likely to come down, you wouldn't get on that plane would you?" she said in an explanation of her reasons for having the operation.

Professor Gareth Evans, of the Manchester Breast Centre in Britain, said the two genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 (breast cancer one and two) "were the first two majorly breast cancer pre-disposing genes that were identified" and are also linked to an increased risk of ovarian cancer.

"The risk associated with the genes isn't simply an exact figure like 87%," he told the BBC.

"It does depend on other risk factors, and so the risk for someone with a BRCA1 mutation could vary anywhere between 50 and 95% for breast cancer."

Currently, women facing a strong likelihood of developing breast cancer have only two real options - to have both of their breasts removed (a double mastectomy) or hope that it will never actually happen.

In January, the drugs watchdog in England and Wales, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, recommended women at a high genetic risk of breast cancer should be given the option of taking the drug Tamoxifen, or another one called raloxifene, for five years to cut their lifetime risk of the disease.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-22520720

[Teh One Who Knocks]

She's not dead :slap:

[redred]

her boobies are :sad2:

[Pony]

Think she'll sell them on ebay?

[redred]

I bid on them :lol:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

You can't sell body parts on eBay :nono:

[deebakes]

*chance of :motorboat: on jolies boobs have increased dramatically :woot:

[Goofy]

Good on her for being open about it and raising awareness :thumbsup:

[Muddy]

Thats a strong chick right there.. And Brad Pitt? He's a solid mofo as well..

[RBP]

Did I read this wrong or did she have elective surgery to remove the breasts of a woman who does not have cancer because she might get cancer in the future??

There no awareness to bring. It's a really dumb idea and nobody's insurance will pay for this.

[Muddy]

It's not a dumb idea when you are genetically predisposed to get the stuff. I know a chick around my way that her mother and 2 of her sisters got the stuff so she did elective surgery and it just may have saved her life. The deal with doing it electively is you save yourself the train wreck effects of the chemo therapy.. That shit may give you something worse than you originally had.

[RBP]

It's not a dumb idea when you are genetically predisposed to get the stuff. I know a chick around my way that her mother and 2 of her sisters got the stuff so she did elective surgery and it just may have saved her life. The deal with doing it electively is you save yourself the train wreck effects of the chemo therapy.. That shit may give you something worse than you originally had.

Totally disagree. And a rich woman who can afford it promoting it for the general public is wrong.

[redred]

the way i see it ,she has a high risk of getting it and by choosing to remove them if or before she gets cancer she now doesn't have the worry hanging over her head , she has a large family maybe she's thinking of them also

[DemonGeminiX]

Her mother died from ovarian cancer... so she had her boobs removed. But her ovaries are still there...

Ok, I'll shut up now.

8-[

[redred]

can you sell ovaries on Craigs list?

[Muddy]

Totally disagree.

I guess that's where we leave it then.

[jvanorder]

Gotta agree with RBP on this one. Also i have seen her referred to as "brave" and "a hero". Bullshit. Like said she chose to have a surgery she doesnt need because she could get cancer. Hell just living in california gives you an 87% chance of cancer. What about the women that have to deal with this every day? For some the dont have the choice its do it or die. But they dont have millions and star in big movies so i guess they dont matter

[Hugh_Janus]

:rip: :boobs:

[Goofy]

There no awareness to bring. It's a really dumb idea and nobody's insurance will pay for this.


Totally disagree. And a rich woman who can afford it promoting it for the general public is wrong.

Free on the NHS :) If there was an 87% chance of you being struck by lightening tomorrow would you go outside? :-k

[Hugh_Janus]

Free on the NHS :) If there was an 87% chance of you being struck by lightening tomorrow would you go outside? :-k

I would.... and if there's a 87% chance of me missing the headshot in VATS, I'm still going for that headshot

[Goofy]

I would.... and if there's a 87% chance of me missing the headshot in VATS, I'm still going for that headshot

Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery? :-k

[Hal-9000]

I'm on the fence about this one....if you have the means to avoid cancer with an operation, why not?

On the other hand maiming yourself 'just in case' is not really the way to handle disease either

[Teh One Who Knocks]

I may break my leg someday, I probably should just cut them off :-k

[Goofy]

I may break my leg someday, I probably should just cut them off :-k

A broken leg would heal - cancer kills

[deebakes]

I guess that's where we leave it then.

:+1:

[DemonGeminiX]

I'm on the fence about this one....if you have the means to avoid cancer with an operation, why not?

On the other hand maiming yourself 'just in case' is not really the way to handle disease either

Don't quote me on this, but she probably had reconstruction along with the mastectomy, given that she could afford it. I was reading somewhere else where they said they tried to perform a minimally invasive mastectomy, or some shit like that, saving the nipple and as much tissue as they could. Either way, she'll probably have fabulous fake tits until the day she dies. She'll be 95 years old and wrinkly, flashing her fake teeny tits.

Doesn't really matter. We have record of her fabulous real tits in movies throughout the 90s.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

A broken leg would heal - cancer kills

Not always, and the treatments for cancer have come a long way. This isn't the 1950's anymore where a cancer diagnosis is a death sentence. yes, there are some forms of cancer that are extremely deadly (pancreatic cancer for one), but there are many, many types that when caught in time are completely survivable.

[deebakes]

and the screening methods to catch breast cancer early are always improving :shrug:

[Hal-9000]

Don't quote me on this, but she probably had reconstruction along with the mastectomy, given that she could afford it. I was reading somewhere else where they said they tried to perform a minimally invasive mastectomy, or some shit like that, saving the nipple and as much tissue as they could. Either way, she'll probably have fabulous fake tits until the day she dies. She'll be 95 years old and wrinkly, flashing her fake teeny tits.

Doesn't really matter. We have record of her fabulous real tits in movies throughout the 90s.

I got into trouble with a group of women once having this discussion...my point was that if you have cancer and can completely go into remission by removing the breast, what's the big deal? It's not like boobs are penises....after nursing children boobs become decorations. Penises on the other hand serve a lifelong purpose.

I know it's a traumatic thing to have a mastectomy but there are worse things...


btw, I didn't get laid that night :|

[DemonGeminiX]

I see both sides of the argument, but really, it hurt her to lose her mother to ovarian cancer, she didn't want to risk leaving her children without their mother, she saw that she was genetically predisposed to it. If you could avoid it by taking action early on instead of waiting to see whether or not it comes...

... but then again, her mother died of ovarian cancer, and she still has her ovaries and a 50% chance of developing ovarian cancer... not to mention all the other possible forms of cancer she could develop over time.

Her boobs, her choice.

:dunno:

[Hugh_Janus]

I got into trouble with a group of women once having this discussion...my point was that if you have cancer and can completely go into remission by removing the breast, what's the big deal? It's not like boobs are penises....after nursing children boobs become decorations. Penises on the other hand serve a lifelong purpose.

I know it's a traumatic thing to have a mastectomy but there are worse things...


btw, I didn't get laid that night :|you could say the same thing about balls.... would it be a big deal if you had your balls chopped off? :shrug:

[Hal-9000]

you could say the same thing about balls.... would it be a big deal if you had your balls chopped off? :shrug:

now you're sounding like those chicks....balls serve a function creating and storing sperm. Again, after breastfeeding, what purpose do tits really serve? Other than making women complain about how they're too big, they hurt, they are sweaty etc...




try again Louise :hand:

[Hugh_Janus]

and I bet 90% of guys with 2 or more kids will say they domn't want any more... ergo, balls = redundant

[Hal-9000]

:lol: you're comparing mangos to plums...


breasts serve no purpose, balls do.


Okay, if a man had all of the children he wanted he could gets his nuts removed. But remember, we're talking about women with breast cancer...this is not an arbitrary choice for a guy to hack his nuts off just because :lol: If he had testicular cancer, then the discussion would change.


and btw I said dick, not balls so quit being a chick and changing the discussion to suit your side of the argument

[Hugh_Janus]

I know you said dick, and that does have an every day use, that's why I suggested balls, as they, with breasts only have one natural function.

okay, if you have a 13% chance of not getting testicular cancer, do you risk it or chop those fuckers off?

[Hal-9000]

I'd be unlike Angelina and wait for the diagnosis...

I'm not trying to belittle a woman getting a mastectomy, but if getting a breast removed stops cancer, I can't see how it's a choice at that point.

For example if you develop pancreatic or lung cancer, you're pretty much done because of the nature of the cancer and the area it affects.

[Hal-9000]

I would chop your balls off in a heartbeat Hugh :tup:

[Pony]

Not always, and the treatments for cancer have come a long way.

I was just imagining her face if they came out with a 100% effective cure for cancer next week.

[Hal-9000]

I've always thought she was a beautiful woman up until the last few years....she looks really emaciated and gaunt now...

and after losing the girls she's going to look like a wraith :(

[RBP]

Free on the NHS :) If there was an 87% chance of you being struck by lightening tomorrow would you go outside? :-k

The NHS pays for that? Now you have me wondering if insurance carriers do as well.

[Hugh_Janus]

I would chop your balls off in a heartbeat Hugh :tup:

you could try :lol:

[DemonGeminiX]

I was just imagining her face if they came out with a 100% effective cure for cancer next week.

Hahaha, that would suck really hard.

:lol:

[Noraf45]

It does bother me to hear people saying she's a hero and that she's done something amazing. She had elective surgery to trade a chance of getting a disease for a host of other possible side effects & issues (breast implants). If that's how she wants to handle it, that's her choice but she hardly did anything wonderful. Personally if it were me or my wife I would simply schedule regular checkups to keep an eye out for it. Early detection gives you the best chance for treatment to work, and you could always opt for the mastectomy at that point and get the implants as a reconstructive thing. I don't know about all health plans or other countries, but mine wouldn't pay for a "pre-emptive strike" like Jolie's but would pay for the life-saving operation and reconstruction. If I were more cynical, I might even entertain the idea that this was just a convenient way for her to get a boob job without the negative press.

[DemonGeminiX]

She announced today that she's going to go ahead and remove her ovaries as well. It's gonna really suck for her when she dies of lung cancer or bladder cancer or liver cancer or...

[KevinD]

Hmm, she's that worried about cancer, yet still smokes? I was talking about this with my wife today. Jolie is a sick woman, has been for years. I think this is a self mutilation thing on her part.

[DemonGeminiX]

I don't know if she smokes or not, but I know you don't have to be a smoker to get lung cancer. Sometimes shit just happens.

[Leefro]

All I know if you were in her situation and could afford it I am sure most women would follow her lead

[DemonGeminiX]

Yeah, if they caught brain cancer... :d

[Loser]

I'm sorry but if a doctor told me I had a 50/50 chance of getting testicular cancer, based on a speculative test, and that I should get them cut off. I would laugh in his fking face.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

She announced today that she's going to go ahead and remove her ovaries as well. It's gonna really suck for her when she dies of lung cancer or bladder cancer or liver cancer or...

Exactly

[Leefro]

I'm sorry but if a doctor told me I had a 50/50 chance of getting testicular cancer, based on a speculative test, and that I should get them cut off. I would laugh in his fking face.

They just replace them for plastic ones I guess

I would personally have them removed if I did not have to go through the Chemo and all the shit that goes with it

All joking aside do you check them for lumps or irregularities on occasions

[Teh One Who Knocks]

See, here's the thing, you can get cancer in any cell in your body...are you just going to start removing organs "just to be safe"? Good luck with that pre-emptive strike against brain cancer then.

[redred]

Her body to do what she wants with ,she's chosen to remove them rather than taking a risk and die like her mother did

[Leefro]

If you can remove them as a pre-emptive strike and it will have little or no effect on your quality of life then removing them is a good idea

[Leefro]

Her body to do what she wants with ,she's chosen to remove them rather than taking a risk and die like her mother did

She had the same faulty gene that killed her so I respect her decision 100%

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Her body to do what she wants with ,she's chosen to remove them rather than taking a risk and die like her mother did

All fine and well, but enough of the "she's a hero" bullshit from the press and other celebrities. She is no hero.

And if she's that worried about dying from something, maybe she needs to lock herself in one of those plastic bubbles they put people without immune systems into and confine herself to a clean room for the rest of her life.

[jvanorder]

All fine and well, but enough of the "she's a hero" bullshit from the press and other celebrities. She is no hero.

And if she's that worried about dying from something, maybe she needs to lock herself in one of those plastic bubbles they put people without immune systems into and confine herself to a clean room for the rest of her life.


Exactly the real heros are the women that fought cancer and won. The women that had to make the choice of having the surgery or death. Those are the real heros.

[redred]

"she's a hero"

that would be the media not her i would think and maybe her status as a star will get women to get checked out


And if she's that worried about dying from something, maybe she needs to lock herself in one of those plastic bubbles they put people without immune systems into and confine herself to a clean room for the rest of her life.

i don't think it's the worry about dying ,it's more she wants to live without this fear so she can look after her family , isn't that the goal of every parent?

[Muddy]

that would be the media not her i would think and maybe her status as a star will get women to get checked out



i don't think it's the worry about dying ,it's more she wants to live without this fear so she can look after her family , isn't that the goal of every parent?

:qft: She's not a hero, but she is a strong woman.. Given she has a defective gene and is pre-disposed to get this crap I'm sure her decision was a tough one.. Women treasure tits like us men treasure our balls..

[Loser]

My family has a genetic predisposition for kidney stones. Maybe I should have them removed :roll:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

She's an attention whore, plain and simple.

If all this was, was about a pre-emptive strike against breast cancer, then why tell the media? If this is such a personal decision to her, why tell anyone? She wants the press plain and simple and she's loving being hailed a hero.

[Muddy]

My family has a genetic predisposition for kidney stones. Maybe I should have them removed :roll:

Yes, because it's such a great comparison there.. :roll: back at you.

[Muddy]

She's an attention whore, plain and simple.

If all this was, was about a pre-emptive strike against breast cancer, then why tell the media? If this is such a personal decision to her, why tell anyone? She wants the press plain and simple and she's loving being hailed a hero.

Im sure she loves the positive reinforcement.

[redred]

maybe i shouldn't of had the mole removed on my back then just in case it was cancerous, i should have waited till it was confirmed as cancer so i could enjoy all the trips to the hospital for all the chemotherapy




"I chose not to keep my story private because there are many women who do not know that they might be living under the shadow of cancer. It is my hope that they, too, will be able to get gene tested, and that if they have a high risk they, too, will know they have strong options," she writes, while acknowledging the issues of financial access that prevent too many women from getting tested and treated.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/may/14/angelina-jolie-double-mastectomy-women

getting people like us talking about it and letting people know that cancer doesn't just chose the poor or ugly it can affect anyone

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Yes, because having a mole removed is EXACTLY the same as having both breasts removed for a woman :rolleyes:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

And I don't care how she tries to spin it, coming out to the media with the story is 1st class attention whoring, period.

[redred]

:lol:

[redred]

Yes, because having a mole removed is EXACTLY the same as having both breasts removed for a woman :rolleyes:

you're right it would take a lot more guts to get your breasts removed

[Muddy]

All I want to know Lance.. Is would you suck on the rebuilt breast mounds? :d

[redred]

titty wank :woot:

[jvanorder]

What i want to know is why is it such a big deal she had it done to prevent it but its not for all the other women that had to suffer thru it? When was the last time a lady right off the street got this done and made national news? Never! Because she is a rich bitch celeb that like to throw her money around she can do what she want and the media will kiss her ass

[Leefro]

I don't think she's a hero but I do think she's a heroine

[RBP]

Her mother died from ovarian cancer... so she had her boobs removed. But her ovaries are still there...

Ok, I'll shut up now.

8-[


She announced today that she's going to go ahead and remove her ovaries as well. It's gonna really suck for her when she dies of lung cancer or bladder cancer or liver cancer or...


And gone.

Ovarian cancer risk is 1.2%. Her genetics increase that by 50%. Another elective surgery for a 2% risk?

[PorkChopSandwiches]

:hand: 2.3%

[RBP]

I stand corrected. Totally makes sense now.

[PorkChopSandwiches]

:dance:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

She's a fucking moron...why not cut off her head, that way she won't have to worry about maybe developing brain cancer :rolleyes:

[FBD]

you could say the same thing about balls.... would it be a big deal if you had your balls chopped off? :shrug:

Breasts are not endocrine glands, balls are. But this elective bullshit to possibly prevent certain replication from going shitty? Is stupid, stupid STUIUUUUUUUUUPID.

This fuckin idiot is willfully removing part of her endocrine system because it MIGHT go bad?

:hand: Jolie is a first class fucking moron.

Your endocrine system is your body's prime accelerant for processes, why in the fuck would you rip a very important component out like that!!!

sooooooooooooooo full of facepalm.

I never had much respect for her anyway, but this, this cements her berth on the pillars of stupidity in the halls of idiots.

[Muddy]

Studies show that radical mastectomy's have no better long term survival rates than lumpectomy's.

[deebakes]

:rip: x 2

[FBD]

yep, remove endocrine parts = guaranteed early death


congrats, ms jolie