New breakthrough research in cancer

Angelina Jolie, who has never had cancer before, decided to have a preventive double mastectomy because she has a BRCA1 gene mutation, which puts her at increased risk for breast cancer. Photo: Filepic/AFP

In 2013, American actress Angelina Jolie, who has never had cancer before, decided to have a preventive double mastectomy because she has a BRCA1 gene mutation, which puts her at increased risk (87%) of developing breast cancer. And, in 2015, she had her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed to reduce her risk of developing ovarian cancer, the disease that killed her mother at the age of just 56.

Cancer Research Malaysia chief scientific officer professor Datin Paduka Dr Teo Soo Hwang co-led the Bridges study. Photo: Cancer Research Malaysia