Boffins identify how breast tumours caused by ‘Angelina Jolie’ gene start
It could lead to earlier tests and better drugs for the mutant BRCA gene that the Hollywood star has
SCIENTISTS have found vital clues to how cancers caused by the “Jolie gene” start.
It could lead to earlier tests and better drugs for the mutant BRCA gene that Hollywood’s Angelina Jolie has.
The Tomb Raider star, 40, opted to have a double mastectomy and her ovaries removed after losing her mother Marchaline Bertrand to ovarian cancer at 56.
Doctors warned she had an 85 per cent chance of a breast tumour and a 50 per cent chance of ovarian cancer.
The brave move has been credited with saving thousands of lives in the UK as numbers tested for cancer genes soared in the wake of the star’s surgery.
Now a team at University College London has discovered the mutant gene triggers cancer in the fallopian tubes by causing abnormal cell behaviour.
They also highlighted an enzyme responsible for this abnormality.
Researcher Professor Martin Widschwendter said: “These new findings take us a step closer to understanding how ovarian cancers develop in BRCA 1/2 gene mutation carriers.
“It opens up new opportunities for ovarian cancer prevention.
“The next step will be to investigate the merit of drugs
“This is vital as the most effective method of prevention is drastic surgery which deprives women of their hormones and their ability to give birth.”
The Eve Appeal charity, which sponsored the research, welcomed the breakthrough.
Chief executive Athena Lamnisos said: “Stopping women’s cancers before they start is the ultimate ambition of our research programme.
“This research is an important step in achieving this ambition.
“It provides hope for women of the future who might not need to undergo such drastic, invasive surgery to aid the prevention of ovarian cancer.”