This breakthrough may allow thousands of Jolie-gene women to avoid or delay cancer surgery.
The ability to forecast when patients affected by a genetic defect will get breast cancer or ovarian carcinoma would be a boon for doctors.
This allows women to put off unnecessary surgery and gives them the time they need to get married or have children.
Angelina Jolie, pictured, brought the BRCA1 gene to attention in 2013 when she revealed she had chosen to have a double mastectomy and her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed aged 37
The mutated BRCA1 gene, which affects thousands of British women, is known as the ‘Jolie gene’ after Angelina Jolie – who inherited it from her mother.
The actress brought it to the attention of the world in 2013 when she revealed she had chosen to have a double mastectomy and her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed aged 37 to reduce her risk of suffering the same fate as her mother – who died at 56 after a ten-year battle.
After scientists replicated the development of BRCA1 ovarian carcinoma in the laboratory, it is possible for women such as Miss Jolie to have these interventions in their lives or avoid them entirely.
The doctor Marcheline Bertrand who was Miss Jolie’s mom, created mini fallopian tubes from cells taken from women with the disease.
The researchers observed that cells were more likely to divide, produce abnormal growths, and make a cancer-causing protein.
Marcheline Bertrand was Miss Jolie’s mother. (Photo left: Jacqueline Bisset). She had been battling breast and ovarian cancer for many years.
These insights could allow doctors to predict the development of breast cancer in women and to develop drugs to stop it from happening.
The next step would be for scientists to grow fallopian tubes from women who have the gene but have not yet developed cancer – enabling them to work out why some avoid the disease.
Dr. Beth Karlan is a Professor at the University of California Los Angeles. She was also co-lead author of this study.
“Lab-grown fallopian tubes can help us to identify genes that are involved in the development of ovarian carcinoma, and so we will have targets for developing new medicines to treat or prevent this disease.”
American Cedars-Sinai Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute co-lead writer of the study. Dr. Clive Svendsen said that it was very exciting to be able to reproduce ovarian cancer using a dish and to see cancerous changes in cells in patients with more advanced cancers.
Photo of Miss Jolie taken earlier in the year. This mutation in the BRCA1 gene is called the “Jolie” gene and affects many British women.
“The next stage is to find out when women who have the BRCA1 gene mutation will be most likely to develop cancer.
“This may help Angelina Jolie and other women make crucial decisions. Or, it could lead to drugs that can block proteins or cell processes, leading to ovarian tumors.
One in 200 UK residents has mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes. This increases their risk for breast, prostate, and pancreatic cancer.
Children of such people are at 50 percent risk of inheriting the genetic defects.
For the average woman, the risk of developing ovarian carcinoma is below 2%. But it rises to between 30 and 50% for people with defective BRCA1. These women are more likely to develop breast cancer.
Cell Reports published this study from the United States. Alexandra Holden from Target Ovarian Cancer said that the US study was chronically underfunded and there are limited options for those who have a BRCA1 mutation.
“We hope this will help us to find better ways of prevention and treatment.