Jolie is just one of a number of celebrities who have opened up about a scary gene known to elevate the risk of cancer.
That gene is called the BRCA gene. And if breast or ovarian cancer run in your family, you’ve undoubtedly heard of it.
You see, every woman has BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. However, not all women have mutations in these genes, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). That said, the CDC reports that an estimated one out of 500 women in the United States has a mutation in one of these genes.
Genetically speaking, parents play a role in this process. In fact, if your parents have a mutated gene, your chance of having the same mutation is 50 percent, according to the CDC. Though this does not mean that you will definitely get cancer, the CDC says that it markedly increases the risk.
So how many women with this gene really get cancer?
“About 50 out of 100 women with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation will get breast cancer by the time they turn 70 years old, compared to only 7 out of 100 women in the general United States population,” according to the CDC. And “about 30 out of 100 women with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation will get ovarian cancer by the time they turn 70 years old, compared to fewer than 1 out of 100 women in the general U.S. population.”
These frightening statistics have sparked a media frenzy amongst celebrities. Here are five celebrities who have openly discussed having (or not having) the BRCA gene -- and just how they’ve dealt with these findings.
1. Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie emotionally captivated our attention when she underwent a double mastectomy in 2013 due to the detection of the BRCA1 gene. Her daring decision sparked both admiration and anger amongst women. However, her decision to open up definitely brought awareness of the gene to light.
“A simple blood test had revealed that I carried a mutation in the BRCA1 gene,” says Jolie in a self-written Op Ed piece published in The New York Times. “It gave me an estimated 87 percent risk of breast cancer and a 50 percent risk of ovarian cancer. I lost my mother, grandmother and aunt to cancer.”
Here’s the thing that many people get wrong: the gene wasn’t the only reason for the mastectomy. This fact is often overlooked by those who disagree with Jolie’s decision.
“I did not do this solely because I carry the BRCA1 gene mutation, and I want other women to hear this,” says Jolie in the article. “A positive BRCA test does not mean a leap to surgery. I have spoken to many doctors, surgeons and naturopaths.”
In fact, she wants women to know that there are many avenues that one can take if diagnosed with this concerning gene.
“Some women take birth control pills or rely on alternative medicines combined with frequent checks. There is more than one way to deal with any health issue. The most important thing is to learn about the options and choose what is right for you personally,” says Jolie in the article.
2. Kelly Osbourne
Around the same time that Jolie explained her decision to The New York Times, Kelly Osbourne opened up to the media, saying that she had the same gene. However, Osbourne took a different path to reduce the risk of cancer. She had her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed.
"I have gotten tested, and I do have the gene, but I'm still young enough to -- I mean, you can have the gene and never ever get it," Osbourne told ET's Nischelle Turner after a taping of The Talk, which was published in an ET article online. "It's just keeping up with the doctor, going and getting checked all the time, and being responsible to yourself."
3. Christina Applegate
Angelina Jolie isn’t the only celebrity who opted for a mastectomy. In 2008, television darling Christina Applegate took the same scary leap.
At just 36-years-old, Applegate discovered she had both early stage breast cancer and the BRCA gene. She was given two choices: radiation treatment along with regular cancer screenings, or a double mastectomy. Applegate chose the second option.
"It came on really fast. It was one of those things that I woke up and it felt so right," Applegate told Oprah Winfrey while appearing on her show. "It just seemed like, 'I don't want to have to deal with this again. I don't want to keep putting that stuff in my body. I just want to be done with this.' And I was just going to let them go.”
4. Melissa Etheridge
Melissa Etheridge was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 43. Years later, she’s happy and healthy. But she’s also been very verbal about her view on radical decisions about breast cancer.
In a 2013 interview, the Washington Blade asked Etheridge what she thought of Jolie’s announcement about the mastectomy. Etheridge gave a controversial (and now famous) answer.
“I have to say I feel a little differently. I have that gene mutation too and it’s not something I would believe in for myself,” says Etheridge in the interview. “I wouldn’t call it the brave choice. I actually think it’s the most fearful choice you can make when confronting anything with cancer.”
She then opened up about her belief that cancer is caused by the person, not the disease. Though some cheered the response, others deplored it.
“My belief is that cancer comes from inside you and so much of it has to do with the environment of your body,” she boldly stated. “It’s the stress that will turn that gene on or not. Plenty of people have the gene mutation and everything but it never comes to cancer so I would say to anybody faced with that, that choice is way down the line on the spectrum of what you can do and to really consider the advancements we’ve made in things like nutrition and stress levels.”
5. Kathy Bates
Kathy Bates is an example that even if you test negative for the BRCA gene, you can still get cancer. And that’s a scary thing.
“I had ovarian cancer in 2003. When I went in for a scan last year they found a tumor in my left breast. I wasn't going to fool around; I had a double mastectomy. Breast cancer runs like a river through my family. My mother and niece had it; my aunt died of it. Even if you test negative [for genetic mutations that predispose you to cancer] — like I did — you can't assume you're OK,” says Bates in a 2013 interview with AARP.
Regardless of your feelings regarding the BRCA gene, it’s every woman’s opinion for herself.