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Angelina Jolie has double mastectomy National

What is a Mastectomy?

  • A mastectomy is an operation to remove the breast mainly as a treatment for cancer or to reduce the risk of it developing.
  • In 2010-2011, over 18,000 mastectomies were carried out in England.
  • Risk-reducing (prophylactic) mastectomies are carried out on women who have family history of breast cancer.
  • Certain genes known as BRCA1 and BRCA2, can increase the risk of developing breast cancer.
  • Preventative mastectomies can reduce the risk of breast cancer by up to 90% in people at a high risk of developing the condition.
  • Some women opt for artificial breast reconstruction after the procedure.
Angelina Jolie has double mastectomy National

What is the BRCA1 breast cancer gene fault?

Angelina Jolie has had a double mastectomy after doctors calculated she had an 87% chance of developing breast cancer as a carrier of the BRCA1 gene.

Read: Angelina Jolie reveals she has had a preventative double mastectomy

  • Around 1 in 20 breast cancers is partly caused by an inherited gene fault and the BRCA1 gene is just one of these.
  • The BRCA1 gene helps to repair damage to DNA. When a mutated gene is passed from parent to child, all the breasts' cells carry this mutation.
  • Women with a faulty gene have a 50 to 80% chance of getting breast cancer in their lifetime.
  • BRCA2 and TP53 genes are also associated with increased risk of breast cancer.
  • Genetic tests are available to women with a high risk of having changes in these genes.

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Angelina Jolie has double mastectomy National

Breast cancer campaigner praises Jolie's 'openness'

Angelina's openness in talking about her own experience and her decision to have surgery raises crucial awareness of breast cancer and its genetic risk.

Deciding whether to have preventative surgery is a heart-rending decision for women like Angelina but we know it's a vital way of saving lives.

This is a stark reminder of how much more research we need to do to give women more knowledge, choice and life-saving options to reduce their risk.

If you are at all concerned that you may have an inherited mutation in your family and want further advice, your GP will be able to provide more information and help.

– Baroness Delyth Morgan, chief executive of Breast Cancer Campaign

Emmerdale actress in Doncaster foster campaign

Chelsea Halfpenny - aka Amy Wyatt in Emmerdale

A fostering recruitment campaign will be launched in Doncaster today - with a little help from Emmerdale actress Chelsea Halfpenny.

Her character Amy Wyatt is being fostered by parents who had never previously considered doing it.

"The Dales" returns to ITV

One of ITV's most popular series returns to our screens tonight - charting the amazing stories and daily life in one of the most famous parts of North Yorkshire.

"The Dales" is back at 8 o'clock, and will be on our screens for the next three months. Tonight's episode once again features shepherdess Amanda Owen, a mother of six who lives on one of the remotest farms in our region. Chris Kiddey went to meet her.

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BAFTA awards

Sheridan Smith - childhood memories

Joyce Mason, who was Sheridan Smith's dance teacher , from aged 4 to 16, says she is a natural down to earth girl from a grounded family who will have been genuinely shocked by her BAFTA win.

Sheridan Smith in a play at her former dance school Credit: ITV Yorkshire
Sheridan Smith started treading the boards as a child Credit: ITV Yorkshire
Sheridan Smith on stage as a child Credit: ITV Yorkshire
BAFTA awards National

Sheridan Smith: I'm still in shock, I can't believe it

Actress Sheridan Smith has won the leading actress BAFTA Award for her role in ITV's Mrs Biggs.

Speaking to Daybreak after the show she said: "I've stopped crying… finally! It was like an out of body experience…. I'm still in shock, I can't believe it."

The actress said she was "such a massive fan" of fellow nominees Sienna Miller, Rebecca Hall and Anne Reid.

"This is mad, bonkers, brilliant!" she added.

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