(Press-News.org) Contact information: Kelly Blake
kellyb@umd.edu
301-405-9418
University of Maryland
Angelina Jolie's preventive mastectomy raised awareness, but not knowledge of breast cancer risk
Survey of Americans suggests a lack of understanding of genetic risk following Jolie's public announcement of her preventive double mastectomy
College Park, MD – Angelina Jolie heightened awareness about breast cancer when she announced in a New York Times op-ed that she had undergone a preventive double mastectomy. But a new study led by researchers in the University of Maryland School of Public Health and the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health reveals that widespread awareness of Jolie's story did not unfortunately translate into increased understanding of breast cancer risk.
The survey of more than 2,500 Americans found that three out of four were aware of Jolie's story, but fewer than 10% of those could correctly answer questions about the BRCA gene mutation that Jolie carries and the typical person's risk of developing breast cancer. Though very rare, women with harmful mutations in either of two genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2, have a risk of breast cancer that is about five times the normal risk, and a risk of ovarian cancer that is about ten to thirty times normal. The study is published today in Genetics in Medicine.
"Ms. Jolie's health story was prominently featured throughout the media and was a chance to mobilize health communicators and educators to teach about the nuanced issues around genetic testing, risk, and prophylactic surgery," explained lead author Dina Borzekowski, who is a research professor in the University of Maryland School of Public Health's Department of Behavior and Community Health. "It feels like it was a missed opportunity to educate the public about a complex but rare health situation."
Among survey respondents who were aware of Jolie's story, nearly half could recall her estimated risk of breast cancer before the surgery, but fewer than 10 percent of those had the necessary information to interpret the risk of an average woman without a BRCA gene mutation relative to Jolie's risk. Additionally, exposure to Jolie's story was associated with greater confusion, rather than clarity, about the relationship between a family history of cancer and increased cancer risk. About half incorrectly thought that a lack of family history of cancer was associated with a lower than average personal risk of cancer, and among respondents who had at least one close relative affected by cancer, those who were aware of Jolie's story were less likely than those who were unaware of her story to estimate their own cancer risk as higher than average (39 vs. 59 percent).
"Since many more women without a family history develop breast cancer each year than those with, it is important that women don't feel falsely reassured by a negative family history," said Dr. Debra Roter, co-author of the study and Director of the Center for Genomic Literacy and Communication at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Breast cancer cases linked to a BRCA gene mutation are extremely rare, and the average woman's risk of getting breast cancer over her lifetime if she does not have a BRCA mutation is between five and 15 percent.
Other survey findings included that more than half of the women (57%) who had heard the story said they would undergo similar surgery if they carried the faulty BRCA gene, and a majority (72%) of men and women surveyed felt Ms. Jolie did the right thing by publically announcing her situation.
The study concluded that despite the ability of celebrities to raise awareness of health issues by sharing personal stories, these messages need to be accompanied by a more purposeful communication effort to assist the public in understanding and using the complex diagnostic and treatment information that these stories convey.
### END
Angelina Jolie's preventive mastectomy raised awareness, but not knowledge of breast cancer risk
Survey of Americans suggests a lack of understanding of genetic risk following Jolie's public announcement of her preventive double mastectomy
2013-12-19
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Diet quality links old and young
2013-12-18
Diet quality links old and young
Understanding how dietary habits are connected through the generations could have valuable benefits for community health, a new study shows.
The Taiwanese study assessed the relationship between the quality of children's diets ...
Brain area attacked by Alzheimer's links learning and rewards
2013-12-18
Brain area attacked by Alzheimer's links learning and rewards
Crucial linkage normally helps brain step up to new challenges
DURHAM, N.C. -- One of the first areas of the brain to be attacked by Alzheimer's disease is more active when the brain isn't working very hard, ...
Going against the flow: Halting atherosclerosis by targeting micro RNA
2013-12-18
Going against the flow: Halting atherosclerosis by targeting micro RNA
Researchers at Emory and Georgia Tech have developed a potential treatment for atherosclerosis that targets a master controller of the process.
The results are scheduled for publication Dec. ...
New guidelines for management of high blood pressure released
2013-12-18
New guidelines for management of high blood pressure released
A new guideline for the management of high blood pressure, developed by an expert panel and containing nine recommendations and a treatment algorithm (flow chart) to help doctors treat patients ...
Scientists find a groovy way to influence specialization of stem cells
2013-12-18
Scientists find a groovy way to influence specialization of stem cells
Researchers at Queen Mary University of London have shown for the first time that the specialised role stem cells go on to perform is controlled by primary cilia –tiny hair-like ...
Mass shootings will not substantially decrease with more armed guards or background checks
2013-12-18
Mass shootings will not substantially decrease with more armed guards or background checks
Criminology scholars debunk 11 myths about mass murder in a special issue of Homicide Studies
Los Angeles, CA (December 5, 2013) With the one-year anniversary of the ...
Study led by NUS scientists provides new insights into cause of human neurodegenerative disease
2013-12-18
Study led by NUS scientists provides new insights into cause of human neurodegenerative disease
Research team identified Neurexin2 as a novel target for potential therapy of neurodegeneration in Spinal Muscular Atrophy patients
Singapore, 18 December ...
Debate continues on impact of artificial sweeteners
2013-12-18
Debate continues on impact of artificial sweeteners
New research from the University of Adelaide has added to the debate about how our bodies respond to artificial sweeteners and whether they are good, bad or have no effect on us.
In a study published ...
Dogs recognize familiar faces from images
2013-12-18
Dogs recognize familiar faces from images
Humans have specific brain mechanisms involved in face processing, which focuses attention to faces and recognizes the identity of faces remarkably quickly and accurately. So far the specialized skill for recognizing ...
Low-cost countries are not the best conservation investment
2013-12-18
Low-cost countries are not the best conservation investment
Published in PLOS ONE and titled "Cheap and Nasty? The Potential Perils of Using Management Costs to Identify Global Conservation Priorities", the research is the first to investigate links between conservation ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Printed skin to replace animal testing
Precision medicine could be possible in the fight against antibiotic resistance
Researchers at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University identify new targeted approach to protect neurons against degeneration
Western diet causes inflammation, traditional African food protects
Electrochemical method supports nitrogen circular economy
How researchers are shining a light on kidney disease
Some gut bacteria could make certain drugs less effective
PEPITEM sequence shows effects in psoriasis, comparable to steroid cream
Older teens who start vaping post-high school risk rapid progress to frequent use
Corpse flowers are threatened by spotty recordkeeping
Riding the AI wave toward rapid, precise ocean simulations
Are lifetimes of big appliances really shrinking?
Pink skies
Monkeys are world’s best yodellers - new research
Key differences between visual- and memory-led Alzheimer’s discovered
% weight loss targets in obesity management – is this the wrong objective?
An app can change how you see yourself at work
NYC speed cameras take six months to change driver behavior, effects vary by neighborhood, new study reveals
New research shows that propaganda is on the rise in China
Even the richest Americans face shorter lifespans than their European counterparts, study finds
Novel genes linked to rare childhood diarrhea
New computer model reveals how Bronze Age Scandinavians could have crossed the sea
Novel point-of-care technology delivers accurate HIV results in minutes
Researchers reveal key brain differences to explain why Ritalin helps improve focus in some more than others
Study finds nearly five-fold increase in hospitalizations for common cause of stroke
Study reveals how alcohol abuse damages cognition
Medicinal cannabis is linked to long-term benefits in health-related quality of life
Microplastics detected in cat placentas and fetuses during early pregnancy
Ancient amphibians as big as alligators died in mass mortality event in Triassic Wyoming
Scientists uncover the first clear evidence of air sacs in the fossilized bones of alvarezsaurian dinosaurs: the "hollow bones" which help modern day birds to fly
[Press-News.org] Angelina Jolie's preventive mastectomy raised awareness, but not knowledge of breast cancer riskSurvey of Americans suggests a lack of understanding of genetic risk following Jolie's public announcement of her preventive double mastectomy