Background:
On 14 May 2013, Angelina Jolie (AJ), revealed herself to be the carrier of a BReast CAncer 1 (BRCA1) gene mutation and announced her decision to undergo a prophylactic mastectomy, ...followed by a laparoscopic bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. This review explores the impact of the ‘Angelina Jolie Effect’ in order to reveal whether her announcement led to a change in the attitude of patients, and in decisions regarding healthcare options focusing especially on referrals, on genetic tests and on prophylactic mastectomies.
Methods:
Between January–February 2017, we performed a systematic search in PubMed using the key search term ‘Angelina Jolie’. We searched for studies published between 2013 and 2017, reporting data on number of BRCA1/2 tests, number of referrals for breast or ovarian cancer and number of performed mastectomies, before and after AJ’s disclosure. We considered eligible for inclusion all cross-sectional, retrospective, prospective studies written in English.
Results:
The literature search yielded 27 publications. After the analysis of title, abstracts and full text, we identified eight manuscripts for inclusion in the review. The studies were conducted from 2011 to 2015 in the USA, Austria, Australia, Canada and the UK. The announcement generated an increase of referrals for breast/ovarian cancer with peaks of +285%, an increase of BRCA tests with a peak of +80%, but did not lead to a significant increase of prophylactic mastectomies. Patients with a lower level of education asked for information about cancer, and most patients became more aware of breast reconstruction post-mastectomy.
Conclusion:
Celebrity disclosures, such as AJ’s revelation of her BRCA status and her decision for a prophylactic mastectomy, can influence patients’ behaviour leading to important effects on attitudes towards screening. Organisations should assist patients appropriately, but at the same time should consider the available resources, and should interface with journalists and the social media in order to guarantee the validity of the information.
In May 2013, Angelina Jolie revealed to the media that she had undergone preventive double mastectomy after testing positive for a
BRCA1
gene mutation. Media coverage has been extensive, but it is ...not clear how such a personal story affected the public and cancer genetics clinics. We conducted a retrospective review using data from the clinical database of the Familial Cancer Program at our centre. The impact of Ms. Jolie’s story on genetic counseling referrals and the appropriateness of such referrals were assessed and reported. The number of women referred for genetic counseling increased by 90 % after 6 months and remained high one year after AJ’s story with an increase of 88 % from baseline. The number of women who qualified for genetic testing increased by 105 % after 6 months; this increase persisted but was somewhat lower after one year with an increase of 68 % from baseline. Furthermore the number of
BRCA1
/
2
carriers identified increased by 110 % after 6 months and by 42 % after one year.
The effect of Mrs. Jolie’s story persisted one year after its release; however in the latter half of the year, the hereditary cancer risk of referred women was significantly lower than initially observed. The next challenge for our health care system will not only be to meet the increased demand for cancer genetic services in our region, but also to ensure that referrals and hence use of genetic counseling resources are appropriate.
Global media has the power to influence the ways the public engage with health services. On May 14th 2013, Angelina Jolie published an article in the New York Times magazine, outlining her decision ...to undergo BRCA mutation testing due to a family history of cancer; then proceed with a mastectomy. The article evoked significant interest from the media and the public. During the months that followed, the Familial Cancer Program (FCP) at Genetic Services of Western Australia (GSWA) experienced a significant increase in referrals and enquiries. Resources were overstretched and it became clear we needed to adjust work practices to manage the escalating numbers. New strategies were devised to cope with the influx of enquiries, albeit without the benefit of additional resources. We conducted an audit of referrals to the FCP made between January 2012 and December 2014. This included a comparison of the months prior to and following the New York Times article. The aim of the audit was to quantify the impact of the “Angelina Jolie effect” on referrals to the FCP. Whilst the increased awareness of the role of genetic services in risk assessment and testing for familial breast and ovarian cancer was considered positive, pre-referral risk assessment at the primary health level to evaluate the appropriateness of their patients for referral could have been helpful. Potentially, many inappropriate referrals to FCP may have been avoided with primary health evaluation thus lessening the burden on our service and preventing unnecessary worry in well women who possessed minimal family history or risk factors. It is important to understand the factors driving the uptake of risk reduction activities, particularly if engagement with a genetics service is considered part of that pathway. Continued education about cancer risk due to family history, individual features and awareness surrounding genetic testing criteria, costs and availability is required for both the public and health professionals.
The article discusses the celebrity humanitarian as media construction. Departing from a discussion of celebrification, the article argues that celebrities in public roles outside the field of ...entertainment are inevitably framed by and structured in accordance with celebrity logic. The article discusses how celebrity humanitarianism is a contested field, which, in order for a particular activity to support the celebrity persona, relies heavily on strategies of authentification. Finally, the article shows how information about a photograph of Angelina Jolie from her trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo in March 2013 is
and
about the star’s private life when discussed by users on a celebrity site.
This article analyses Angelina Jolie through her status as an exemplary celebrity - that is, as both particular and typical - considering how that exemplarity has been constructed through gender over ...the last two decades. The article focuses specifically on Jolie's autographic presentation of her agency and embodiment, two elements crucial to gender analysis in celebrity studies. From the 1990s to the 2000s, Jolie's celebrity underwent a significant transformation that altered the dimensions, scope, and character of her celebrity image. From a provocative 'bad girl', she became a global action star, philanthropist, committed partner in the Jolie-Pitt celebrity dyad, and mother of six, including adoptive children born in Cambodia, Ethiopia, and Vietnam, and biological children born in Namibia and France. Surprisingly, as her power, visibility, and global celebrity increased, her presentation of her agency has assumed a more receptive, feminine, and invisible character.
En los últimos años se ha difundido en el español coloquial la construcción X hizo/ se marcó un Nombre propio (v.gr. Edurne hizo/ se marcó un Angelina Jolie). Su sujeto tiene el papel temático de ...agente, únicamente aparece con los verbos hacer(se) y marcarse, y su objeto directo es un sintagma determinante introducido por un y seguido de un nombre propio que se interpreta como un evento dinámico y delimitado. El concepto ad hoc que se comprende de este nombre propio depende del contexto de los participantes de la interacción, estos deben encontrar un evento que se corresponda con un acto típico del individuo que se menciona. En la adquisición de esta construcción han coadyuvado el calco de una construcción semejante del inglés y la existencia previa de usos del verbo hacer con sustantivos como objetos directos cuyo origen es un nombre propio (v.gr. El saltador hizo un fósbury).
Breast cancer is one of the most common diseases in the Polish society. In 2015, around 17,000 Polish women were diagnosed with this type of cancer. A comparison of relative survival rates for ...different European countries shows that the Polish oncological care system is inefficient in terms of breast cancer treatment. Women in Poland have substantially lower chances of surviving the first five years a er being diagnosed than women in most other European countries. An inspiration, and at the same time the main theme of the paper is assessing the availability of a controversial treatment, i.e. risk-reducing mastectomy, to patients at high risk of breast cancer. The primary goal connected with this issue is an analysis of breast cancer prevention in Poland in light of applicable provisions of law and, in a broader context, availability of oncological services in the scope of breast cancer prevention and treatment in Poland. The following research methods were adopted in the implementation of the above mentioned objectives: non-systematic review of the PubMed medical database, review of literature and other available sources of information, including press releases, conference materials and online sources. Furthermore, relevant acts of law have been selected and analysed, with the use of a pre-specified glossary of key terms. Cancers are becoming an increasingly big issue. Every year the incidence rates are higher, and in consequence the number of patients receiving cancer-related benefits grows. The current legal regulations governing the availability of cancer-related benefits seem to be insuficient.
The increase in chatter about bisexuality in Western, predominantly American popular culture might at first appear to be a promising development for the future of bisexual politics. Unfortunately, ...the actions of the celebrities who spurred discussion by openly admitting to being bisexuals ultimately reinforce stereotypes commonly associated with bisexuals. Furthermore, these stereotypes are deliberately promoted by media and news outlets that report en masse the actions and follies of these celebrities. A possible approach for bisexuals to counteract this widespread conflation is to then use these celebrities as foil for differentiating between "brands" of bisexuality.
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