They've called it "the Angelina Jolie effect." Whatever it's called, it's a good thing.
In 2013, Angie revealed that she carries a genetic mutation that increases her risk of breast and ovarian cancer. On May 14 of that year, she announced that she'd undergone a preventive double mastectomy.
In explaining her decision to undergo the procedure, she said she wanted to "be proactive" and "minimize [her] risk" of breast cancer after learning that she carries the BRCA1 gene mutation, she wrote in an op-ed for the New York Times.
There was hope among the medical community that Angie's public decision would raise awareness of the issue among women. It did.
According to the Daily Mail, researchers at the University of Georgia have confirmed that in 2013, there was a sharp rise in females seeking BRCA genetic testing, and much of that has been attributed to Angelina.
The study found that between 2003 and 2014, there was an 80-fold increase in BRCA testing. But the largest jump in testing occurred in 2013, when the actress announced her procedure.
Around the same time, the Supreme Court declare that human DNA tests — including those for cancerous mutations — cannot be patented. Many felt that Angelina's revelation played into that decision, as well.
"This could provide insights on the impact of the policy changes and the media coverage of celebrity endorsement," lead study author Dr. Zhuo Chen said, according to the Mail's report. "Jolie's [opinion editorial], the Supreme Court decision on BRCA gene and the USPSTF recommendation occurred in a very compact timeline."
Women with hereditary BRCA gene mutations have a 45 to 65 percent risk of developing breast cancer before age 70, compared to 7 percent in the general population, according to the National Cancer Institute.
Studies indicate that there are nearly 4 million women in the United States alone who have had either breast cancer or ovarian cancer. Further, at least 1.5 million of these women have a high risk of carrying genetic mutations that could increase their chances of having additional cancers in the future.