Breast Cancer Surgeon Speaks about Star’s Decision to Have a Double Mastectomy

Angelina Jolie’s breast cancer surgeon Dr. Kirsti Funk has spoken about the difficult decision Angelina Jolie made earlier this year.

The doctor, who has also treated Sheryl Crow, spoke to Extra, saying that the actress didn’t need to have the surgery straight away but felt it was best given her family history. “Her decision wasn’t made overnight, it wasn’t based on fear”, she said. 

The star lost her mother Marcheline Bertrand to the disease in 2007 and on discovering that she too was a carrier of the BRCA1 cancer gene, which means a higher risk of developing both ovarian and breast cancer, Angelina decided to have surgery.

Another important factor in her decision was Angelina's belief that the surgery would prevent her children from seeing her suffer from cancer.

Jolie did not want her husband and children to see her suffer with cancer.

Dr. Funk also praised Angelina’s decision to go public with her decision describing the actress as “philanthropic to the core”, saying: “She could never keep this a secret and be who she is! She is someone who wants to save lives and she is doing that every day!” 

The doctor advised that there are other routes for women carrying this gene if a mastectomy is not an option. She said: ”MRIs, mammograms, ultrasounds, combine it throughout the year so that at any given month or two something is happening to look at your breasts.”