Angelina Jolie's decision to go public about undergoing surgery to remove her ovaries and fallopian tubes will encourage women to be vigilant with their health, experts say.
Since the actress published on Tuesday an essay on why she chose to have surgery to reduce her chances of getting cancer, Krystal Barter says her Pink Hope charity has been inundated.
"Our phone has been ringing every five minutes, the email is overwhelming, our social media is going crazy," Ms Barter said.
"We're getting messages from high-risk women who say the increased awareness is incredible.
"And from people saying their dad, or grandma or cousin have all had cancer and asking about where they go for help."
About one in 800 Australians are believed to have a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene fault which increases the risk of developing breast and ovarian/fallopian tube cancer in women.
"Women with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation are rare in our society," said Associate Professor Judy Kirk, the director of the Familial Cancer Service at Westmead Hospital.
"But it's important to know about it because there is so much that can be done to reduce the risk and this is a prime example, removing the ovaries and fallopian tubes."
Two years ago Jolie's mastectomy disclosure raised the profile of the deadly BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations, leading to a sharp increase in Australian women being tested.
Carriers of a BRCA1 mutation, which causes a slightly higher risk of cancer compared to BRCA2, have a lifetime risk of about 80 per cent of developing breast cancer, compared to about 10 per cent for women without it.
For ovarian cancer, the elevated risk was about 40-50 per cent - compared to about 1.5 per cent for the general population.
"There is no screening test that will reliably detect ovarian cancer at an early stage," says Prof Kirk.
"So the best strategy is to remove the ovaries and fallopian tubes by around the age of 40, after women have completed their families.
"(That) very significantly reduces the risk of ovarian cancer and halves the risk of breast cancer," she said.
Ms Barter, a BRCA carrier, has had a preventative double mastectomy, her fallopian tubes removed and plans to have surgery to remove her ovaries.
She met Jolie at the Unbroken premiere in Sydney last November and talked about her surgery.
"I was aware that she was moving towards that option so I wasn't surprised.
Now that awareness has been raised, Ms Barter wants government support.
"It's now up to the state and federal governments to really look at this, at how inundated the charities, the genetic counsellors, the family cancer clinics and the health care system are.
"There can't be an Angelina Jolie effect without us sitting down and evaluating how we can help these families."
More: www.pinkhope.org.au
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