My doctors indicated I should have preventive surgery about a decade before the earliest onset of cancer in my female relatives, Jolie wrote in the New York Times. My mothers ovarian cancer was diagnosed when she was 49. Im 39.
Two years ago, Jolie had a double mastectomy because she had inherited the faulty BRCA1 gene, which placed her at high risk of developing breast cancer, and also gave her an elevated lifetime risk of developing ovarian cancer.
At the time she flagged that she may undergo more surgery, but she wrote in the Times that she still believed she had some time before going down that route.
Then two weeks ago I got a call from my doctor with blood-test results, Jolie wrote. Her doctor told Jolie the test she had every year to monitor for ovarian cancer had revealed a number of elevated inflammatory markers, which together could be a sign of early cancer, and to see her surgeon immediately.
That same day I went to see the surgeon, who had treated my mother, she wrote. I last saw her the day my mother passed away, and she teared up when she saw me: You look just like her. I broke down. But we smiled at each other and agreed we were there to deal with any problem, so lets get on with it.
Nothing in the examination or ultrasound was concerning. I was relieved that if it was cancer, it was most likely in the early stages. If it was somewhere else in my body, I would know in five days. I passed those five days in a haze, attending my childrens soccer game, and working to stay calm and focused.
While her PET/CT scan looked clear, and the tumour test was negative, there was still a chance of early stage cancer, she said.I still had the option of removing my ovaries and fallopian tubes and I chose to do it, Jolie wrote.
Regardless of the hormone replacements Im taking, I am now in menopause. I will not be able to have any more children, and I expect some physical changes. But I feel at ease with whatever will come, not because I am strong but because this is a part of life. It is nothing to be feared.
Early detection and treatment of ovarian cancer is usually rare because it is a cancer that can quickly dislodge from the fallopian tube or ovary surface and spread, making it much harder to treat and a highly fatal cancer.
In Jolies case, surgery revealed a small benign tumour on one ovary, but no signs of cancer in any of the tissues. Unlike ovarian cancer, a single case of breast cancer in a family does not mean other family members are at higher risk, nor does carrying the BRCA1 gene automatically mean the treatment, called a salphingo-oophorectomy, is right for everyone.
In my case, 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 wrote.
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