VOA标准英语2013--Doctors Say Not All Women with Jolie Condition Need Preventive Mastectomies

 

Doctors Say Not All Women with Jolie Condition Need Preventive Mastectomies

She's beautiful, glamorous¹, and known for being outspoken² whether it's about refugees or women's rights. Angelina Jolie's decision to have both breasts surgically³ removed when she doesn't have cancer, has put the spotlight⁴ on preventive surgery.  

Jolie's mother died of cancer when she was 56 years old. The actress said her children wanted to know if she would, too.  Jolie said genetic⁵ tests put her chances of getting breast cancer at 87 percent and at 50 percent for ovarian cancer.     

Doctors have found that certain genetic mutations can increase the odds⁷ of developing breast and ovarian cancer. The two major genes⁸ associated with hereditary⁹ breast and ovarian cancer are BRCA1 and BRCA2.   

One study found that if a woman develops BRCA-related cancer early in life, her daughter may get cancer even earlier than she did -- if she inherited the genetic mutation⁶.

Women with BRCA-related breast cancer have the same rate of survival as other breast cancer patients at the same stage. But Dr. Marc Boisvert of Medstar Washington Hospital says there's a significant difference.

"The problem is that these cancers frequently appear in younger women, and younger women tend to have more aggressive cancers, and they’re not suspecting them," Boisvert said.  

Women in their 20s and 30s are not likely to be screened for breast cancer.  Those most likely to have the BRCA mutations are of east European Jewish descent. But "you can have it if you’re black, white, Hispanic, Chinese, Asian, any ethnic¹⁰ group can have it," Boisvert  said.

The National Cancer Institute recommends genetic testing if close relatives have had breast or ovarian cancer. But not having the BRCA1 or 2 mutations is not an all-clear sign. And having the genetic marker doesn't mean getting the disease is a given. But geneticists can come up with the likely odds -- which is why Jolie said her chance of getting breast cancer was 87 percent.    

The cost for genetic testing can run into the thousands of dollars.

The preventive surgery can lower the odds to less than five percent, but Boisvert says surgery isn't the only choice.

"I think education is important here because you can get peace of mind knowing that you are being monitored very carefully and knowing what the numbers are, what the chances of recurrence¹¹ are,” Boisvert  said.

Boisvert says in the end, the patient needs to be comfortable with her care, whether it involves careful monitoring or surgery. 

1 glamorous   

adj.富有魅力的；美丽动人的；令人向往的

参考例句：

• The south coast is less glamorous but full of clean and attractive hotels.南海岸魅力稍逊，但却有很多干净漂亮的宾馆。
• It is hard work and not a glamorous job as portrayed by the media.这是份苦差，并非像媒体描绘的那般令人向往。

2 outspoken   

adj.直言无讳的，坦率的，坦白无隐的

参考例句：

• He was outspoken in his criticism.他在批评中直言不讳。
• She is an outspoken critic of the school system in this city.她是这座城市里学校制度的坦率的批评者。

3 surgically   

adv. 外科手术上, 外科手术一般地

参考例句：

• Unsightly moles can be removed surgically. 不雅观的痣可以手术去除。
• To bypass this impediment an almost mature egg cell is removed surgically. 为了克服这一障碍，通过手术，取出一个差不多成熟的卵细胞。

4 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

5 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

6 mutation   

n.变化，变异，转变

参考例句：

• People who have this mutation need less sleep than others.有这种突变的人需要的睡眠比其他人少。
• So far the discussion has centered entirely around mutation in the strict sense.到目前为止，严格来讲，讨论完全集中于围绕突变问题上。

7 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

8 genes   

n.基因( gene的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因，所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪

9 hereditary   

adj.遗传的，遗传性的，可继承的，世袭的

参考例句：

• The Queen of England is a hereditary ruler.英国女王是世袭的统治者。
• In men,hair loss is hereditary.男性脱发属于遗传。

10 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

11 recurrence   

n.复发，反复，重现

参考例句：

• More care in the future will prevent recurrence of the mistake.将来的小心可防止错误的重现。
• He was aware of the possibility of a recurrence of his illness.他知道他的病有可能复发。