What is the connection between Angelina Jolie and prostate cancer?

When one thinks of prostate cancer, no one would think of Hollywood superstar Angelina Jolie. But leading medical experts are now advocating for annual checks for those who have the ‘Angelina Jolie’ gene, as they are more likely to get aggressive prostate cancer.

But hold on. What is the Angelina Jolie gene that the experts are talking about? Also, how does this gene heighten the risk of prostate cancer in men?

We get you the answers.

What does study reveal about ‘Jolie’ gene and prostate cancer?

Experts at the London-based Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) found that men with BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations, also popularly known as the ‘Angelina Jolie’ gene, are at double the risk of developing prostate cancer.

A large study found men with the faulty gene have a significantly higher risk of prostate cancer and their tumours tend to be more aggressive than people without the fault. Of 100 men with a BRCA2 variant, for example, between 21 and 35 of them will develop prostate cancer before the age of 80, research has found.

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The study also revealed that those with the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutation were also diagnosed at a younger age — at an average of 61 compared with 64 for non-carriers.

Professor Rosalind Eeles, who led the study at the Institute of Cancer Research, said: “Our research shows that men with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations face a significantly higher risk of aggressive prostate cancer. Until more accurate diagnostic tests become available, targeted PSA screening in this high-risk group could detect these cancers earlier, when treatment is more effective.”

This finding is especially significant as prostate cancer is among the most common. In the United Kingdom alone, there are around 63,000 diagnoses and 12,000 deaths each year.

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Speaking on this, Professor Clare Isacke, dean of academic and research affairs at the Institute of Cancer Research in London and a co-author of the study, told The Times: “Prostate cancer is now the most common cancer in men, and with rates continuing to rise, it’s essential that we pick up clinically significant cases of prostate cancer at an earlier stage, before it has spread.”

But what exactly is this ‘Angelina Jolie’ gene?

The mutation in the genes is known as the Angelina Jolie gene after the Hollywood star revealed in a 2013 New York Times piece that she had undergone a double mastectomy because she carries the hereditary BRCA1 gene.

BRCA1 and BRCA2 are the first two genes found to be associated with inherited forms of breast cancer and ovarian cancer. People with mutations in either BRCA1 or BRCA2 have a much higher risk for developing breast, ovarian or other types of cancer than those without mutations in the genes.

Both BRCA1 and BRCA2 normally act as tumour suppressors. This mean they help to regulate cell division. Most people have two active copies of these genes. When one of the two copies becomes inactive due to an inherited mutation, a person’s cells are left with only one copy. If this remaining copy also becomes inactivated, then uncontrolled cell growth results, which leads to breast, ovarian or other types of cancer.

It has been found that about five of all breast cancers are hereditary, and can involve the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene.

But why did the gene mutation get associated with Angelina Jolie? It’s because in her deeply personal essay, titled My Medical Choice, in the New York Times, she mentioned the mutation, making it known to the public at large.

“I am writing about it now because I hope that other women can benefit from my experience,” she wrote. “Cancer is still a word that strikes fear into people’s hearts, producing a deep sense of powerlessness. But today it is possible to find out through a blood test whether you are highly susceptible to breast and ovarian cancer, and then take action.”

And it seems that people listened. Shortly after the Hollywood star shared her story, Sunita Desai and Anupam Jena of Harvard Medical School found that 15 working days following Jolie’s article, daily rates of testing for harmful mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes rose by 64 per cent, compared with the 15 working days before. After six months, average monthly testing rates were still 37 per cent higher than in the four months before the article’s publication.

How does one test for the gene mutation?

A blood test at a hospital or doctor’s office can help detect BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations, according to the National Cancer Institute. However, it’s an expensive affair; in the US, it can cost anywhere from several hundred to several thousand dollars, and insurance companies may or may not cover the cost. In India, the cost of this test can cost anywhere between Rs 6,000 and Rs 20,000.

Who should consider these tests?

Any person with a family history of breast, ovarian, prostate, or pancreatic cancer should consider taking this test. Also, anyone who has been diagnosed with breast cancer before the age of 45.

With inputs from agencies