Breast Cancer Test ‘Angelina Jolie Effect’ Found

September 19, 2014

(BBC) – Referrals to breast cancer clinics more than doubled in the UK after Angelina Jolie announced she had had a double mastectomy to prevent breast cancer. The actress revealed in May last year she had had the surgery, after being told she had an 87% chance of the disease because of a high-risk gene. The news encouraged women with genuine concerns about their family history to get advice, a study found. About 5% of breast cancers are thought to be hereditary.