Abortion drug slows cancer for women with ‘Jolie gene’

WOMEN with the “Angelina Jolie gene” could avoid drastic surgery by taking an existing abortion drug, research has suggested.

The study found that women with the inherited faulty BRCA1 gene – which was linked to the Hollywood star’s breast cancer – may be able to take mifepristone to slow down the turnover in the cells that put them at risk.

Mifepristone acts by blocking the effects of progesterone and is used for medical abortions where pills are taken to end the pregnancy.

According to the NHS, women with the faulty BRCA1 gene have a 65 to 79 per cent lifetime risk of breast cancer and a 36 to 53 per cent risk of ovarian cancer before the age of 80.

Researchers at the University of Innsbruck and University College London found a “signature” of markers on DNA which can help monitor the risk of breast cancer. The researchers tested samples taken from the breasts of women with and without the BRCA gene alteration, who were all taking mifepristone at low doses.

All the women without the gene were found to have lower levels of progesterone, which is thought to help drive breast cancer at high levels. The effect was also seen in around three quarters of those with a BRCA gene alteration.

Experts hope women with the faulty gene could be targeted with mifepristone to keep their progesterone levels lower. In turn, this could mean they could delay or potentially avoid the need for a mastectomy.

At present, women with the BRCA1 gene fault can opt to have both breasts removed to cut their cancer risk – something Jolie chose.

The research was published in