Jolie Announcement Sparks Discussion On Breast Cancer Gene Testing

A startling revelation from one of America’s top leading ladies. This week Angeline Jolie announced that she had undergone a double mastectomy, not because she has breast cancer, but in order to prevent it. In an op-ed to the New York Times, Jolie wrote that she carried a faulty gene, the BRCA1, which sharply increased her risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer. And with Jolie sharing her decision to test for that genetic mutation and undergo a double mastectomy, we asked local doctors just how common and accessible that test is. As NBC5’s Laura Cavanaugh reports, it’s one that could ultimately save your life.