Twin sisters get double mastectomy after discovering they have ‘Angelina Jolie’ breast cancer gene
A twin sister underwent a double mastectomy after discovering they carry a gene that drastically increases their chances of developing breast cancer.
Sisters Carissa and Cailyn Wulf tested positive for a mutation on the BRCA 1 gene, meaning they developed between 60 and 80 percent of breast cancer cases – compared to a risk of just 12 percent for the general population.
The twins were asked to get tested after their mother, Heather Asche Wulf, discovered she had the gene and was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019.
Heather died in 2022 at the age of 48 after the cancer spread to her lymph nodes, brain and lungs.
Before she died, Heather urged her daughters to take action before they too were affected by breast cancer.
Cailyn, now 25, said: ‘My mom said, ‘Don’t wait.’ She said, ‘Make sure this gets done.’
To honor their mother’s dying wishes, Carissa and Cailyn both decided to reduce their risk of the disease and undergo a double mastectomy, a major surgery that removes both breasts, in February 2024.
Carissa told me People: “She wanted us to make it happen so badly because she didn’t want us to go through what she went through.”
Cailyn added, “Honestly, I cried the night before. But I just knew it was for the better.”
Carissa and Cailyn Wulf, 25, both underwent double mastectomy after their mother died of breast cancer
A recent study in JAMA found that breast cancer rates increased by about 0.79 percent each year from 2000 to 2019.
According to the American Cancer Society, it is estimated that approximately 310,000 women in the US will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year. And about 42,000 people are expected to die.
Recent research suggests that mutations of the BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 genes increase the risk of cancer by as much as 84 percent.
Normally, these genes suppress tumors and repair damaged DNA in cells, but mutations cause cells to grow abnormally, making them more likely to turn into cancer.
The BRCA 1 gene was made famous by Angelina Jolie, who underwent a preventative double mastectomy after testing positive for it in 2013.
Six percent of all women with breast cancer carry BRCA gene mutations.
However, removing breast tissue with a mastectomy can reduce the risk of breast cancer by as much as 90 percent.
Despite living more than 1,000 miles apart in Utah and Iowa, the twins traveled to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota — where their mother was being treated — earlier this year for their procedures, which took place two days apart.
Carissa told me People: ‘We were super scared.
“If I hadn’t had someone there going through the same thing, it would have been a lot harder.”
They opted for a nipple-sparing double mastectomy, which leaves most of the healthy breast skin intact, along with the nipple and areola, the pigmented area around the nipple.
According to Cedars-Sinai, this method is only used for patients undergoing breast reconstruction immediately after a mastectomy.
Both twins then underwent reconstructive surgeries on August 23, just hours apart.
The twins posted on TikTok, shown above, about the reconstructive surgeries they underwent after their mastectomy. They said they knew their mother was ‘glad we made it happen’
Carissa said she and her sister feel at ease knowing they honored their mother’s dying wish.
She said, “I know she’s smiling down. She’s happy we got it done.”
The twins also plan to have their ovaries removed after having children because BRCA 1 also increases their risk of developing ovarian cancer.
They will also be regularly checked for breast cancer.
Dr. Mara Pilton, an assistant professor of breast and melanoma surgical oncology at the Mayo Clinic who treated the women, told People, “I think Cailyn and Carissa ultimately made a fantastic decision that was right for them, but it’s never an easy decision to to make.
“It felt quite brave.”
The sisters are both urging other young women with a family history of breast cancer to get tested for BRCA genes.
BRCA mutations are believed to be passed from parent to child. According to the CDC, a child has a 50 percent chance of inheriting this mutation if his mother or father has it.
This risk decreases by half with each step away from the immediate family. This means that siblings have a 50 percent chance of having the mutation, while more distant relatives such as uncles and aunts are less likely to inherit the mutation.
BRCA mutations do not skip generations, so if a family member has a confirmed negative test, their children do not need to be evaluated.
Carissa said, “Don’t be afraid. I feel like some young people are just as scared as we are.
“That test could save your life.”