The “faulty” gene which prompted Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie to have a preventive double mastectomy and, more recently, an operation to remove her ovaries and fallopian tubes is very rare in Malta, according to breast surgeon Joseph Debono.

Writing in The New York Times, Ms Jolie said that her doctors agreed that surgery to remove her tubes and ovaries was the best option because, on top of the BRCA 1 gene mutation, her grandmother, mo­ther and aunt had all died of cancer. Two years ago, she ignited a worldwide discussion about options for women at high risk for breast cancer when she wrote that she had had both breasts removed because BRCA1 increased her risk of breast cancer.

“Interestingly, the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are very rare among the Maltese,” Mr Debono explained. The incidence is much higher in Nordic countries, such as Finland and Iceland. In fact, the majority of cases in Malta involve foreigners.”

Research is being undertaken to possibly identify other genetic mutations, other than BRCA1 and BRCA2, which could result in cancer among the Mal­tese population.

To his knowledge, no Maltese woman has yet opted to have a preventive mastectomy or oophorectomy (surgery removing the ovaries).

Geneticist Christian Scerri explained that the level of risk was determined through a person’s family history, age and through genetic testing. “Every case is unique. For instance removing the ovaries of a woman aged under 30 can lead to osteoporosis.”

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