Hollywood star Angelina Jolie caused a stir in 2013 when she announced that she had had her breasts removed because of a family history of increased risk of breast cancer. In 2015, she also had her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed for the same reason. What is the hereditary risk of cancer? The senior physician at the Clinic for Gynecology and Obstetrics and head of the breast center at the university hospital, Prof. Dr., deals with this question. Nina Ditsch, in the medical lecture series.
Basically, she thinks the actress’s decision was right. A mastectomy (surgical removal of the breast) can reduce the risk of breast cancer if there is a genetic predisposition from 70 to 10 percent, the general risk of breast cancer. Young women can also be affected by breast cancer, even if it is discovered early and has a good prognosis in most cases. Ovarian cancer is more dangerous because it is rarely discovered early.
Augsburg University Hospital offers consultation hours for genetic breast cancer
According to Ditsch, the first change in the human genome that indicated a risk of breast cancer was found in 1994. The majority of the genes have now been identified. According to her own words, the speaker has been dealing with genetic breast cancer since 2001. The university clinic offers a special consultation hour for this purpose. Anyone who has seen several cases of cancer in their family should seek advice. You can also bring relatives with you.
The Angelina Jolie case has made many women rethink their approach to genetic cancer. Some people avoided seeing a doctor out of fear or uncertainty, or held on to the hope that breast lumps are often benign, especially at a young age. She counters that a detected breast cancer is definitely more detrimental than a special preventive examination, which is offered and paid for if there is proven risk. A woman as well as a man with a hereditary risk of breast cancer, which is passed on to the next generation in 50 percent of cases, also has responsibility for their children.
A prophylactic mastectomy is not the only option
There are alternatives to prophylactic mastectomy, adds Ditsch. Early detection does not protect against cancer, but it does detect it early. As always, visitors to the event can also ask questions at the end in the Citizens’ Hall. The lecture “When is cancer hereditary? “The special thing about the example of Angelina Jolie” will take place on Monday, October 21st, at 7:30 p.m. in the Bürgersaal Stadtbergen. Entry: 5 euros.
-
Andreas Alt Icon tick set in a circle Icon Plus in a circle
-
Lecture Icon Checkmark set in a circle Icon Plus in a circle
-
Angelina Jolie Icon tick set in a circle Icon Plus in a circle
