In the week past, we have seen two famous actresses come out in the open and discuss their health problems in a bid to create awareness for the ailment. Deepika Padukone bravely came out into the open with a TV interview to talk about her battle with depression and the necessity to pay attention to mental illness and not consider it a stigma.
Her interview has evoked praises from many quarters and encouraged many people to come out in the open about their battle with mental illnesses. More recently, only a day ago, a schizophrenic woman wrote an open letter lauding her bravery and commenting on the poor state of affairs in India for mentally ill patients.
Across the globe, actress Angelina Jolie too had a revelation to pen down. Called the ‘Diary of Surgery’, Jolie spoke about her long history with ovarian cancer ending with the revelation that she had her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed. Jolie who already had a double preventive mastectomy two years ago decided to follow up with a second preventive surgery to remove her ovaries when she got tested positive for a mutation in her BRCA1 gene.
BRCA1 and 2 genes help repair damaged DNA or destroy the cells if the DNA damage is beyond repair. Researchers believe that the defective BRCA1 protein is unable to help fix DNA damages leading to mutations in other genes. These mutations can accumulate and may allow cells to grow and divide uncontrollably to form a tumor.
Preventive cancer surgeries are so far rare among Indian women, but Angelina Jolie may have stoked the debate about their merits once again after her announcement.
However, many Indian cancer surgeons don’t recommend drastic preventive surgeries. “If you are thinking only about how it impacts cancer, then yes, it does benefit,” said Dr Anil Heroor, head, Surgical Oncology department, Fortis Hospital at Mulund, Mumbai. “But when you look at the broader picture, it’s not that good a trade-off. It increases risk of heart disease plus when ovaries are removed before menopause, it brings on early menopause. This leads to a whole plethora of problems including a sudden loss of bone mineral density leading to osteoporosis and brittle bones that are liable to break easily. It also leads to weight gain and loss of libido.”
Ideally only those who test positive on BRCA1 mutation and stand a very high risk of breast, ovaries and colon cancer should even consider this procedure, added Dr Heroor.
Moreover, BRCA1 mutation is still on the rare side. Most doctors concur that regular screening is the best way to prevent cancer.
Jolie, who underwent two preventive surgeries also agrees with this. “I want other women to hear this,” she wrote. “A positive BRCA test does not mean a leap to surgery. I have spoken to many doctors, surgeons and naturopaths. There are other options. The most important thing is to learn about the options and choose what is right for you personally.”
“In my case,” she continued, “the Eastern and Western doctors I met agreed that surgery to remove my tubes and ovaries was the best option, because on top of the BRCA gene, three women in my family have died from cancer.”
Jolie lost her grandmother, mother and aunt to cancer and that combined with the mutant gene, meant that ovaries removal was the best course for her. In the meantime, the actor-turned-director is now taking regular doses of hormones medicine- estrogen and progesterone in order to keep her hormonal balance and prevent other side-effects.
“I feel feminine, and grounded in the choices I am making for myself and my family. I know my children will never have to say, ‘Mom died of ovarian cancer’,” she signed off.
Image Courtesy: Reuters
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