Observational studyBMJ (Clinical research ed.)2016
Do celebrity endorsements matter? Observational study of BRCA gene testing and mastectomy rates after Angelina Jolie's New York Times editorial.
Observational study in BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 47 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
47 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Implants versus autologous tissue flaps for breast reconstruction following mastectomy.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2024Pooled it
- Causal language and strength of inference in academic and media articles shared in social media (CLAIMS): A systematic review.PloS one · 2018Pooled it
- Operating on Anxiety: Negative Affect toward Breast Cancer and Choosing Contralateral Prophylactic Mastectomy.Medical decision making : an international journal of the Society for Medical Decision Making · 2023Trial
- Development of a web-based, theory-guided narrative intervention for women at elevated risk for breast cancer.Patient education and counseling · 2023Trial
- Simultaneous Risk-Reducing Mastectomy and Salpingo-Oophorectomy in Patients withJournal of personalized medicine · 2026Article
- Risk of Breast and Ovarian Cancer After Prophylactic Mastectomy and Salpingo-Oophorectomy in BRCA1/2 Germline Variant Carriers: A Retrospective Cohort Study From a Single German Center.Cancer medicine · 2026Article
- GermlinePathology oncology research : POR · 2026Article
- A prospective observational study of pancreatic cancer risk in men and women with pathogenic variants in BRCA1 or BRCA2.BJC reports · 2025Article
- Fear of cancer levels of women who applied cervical cancer screening: a cross-sectional study of the effects of health beliefs related to cervical cancer and Pap-Smear test.Cancer causes & control : CCC · 2025Article
- Canadian Recommendations for Germline Genetic Testing of Patients with Breast Cancer: A Call to Action.Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.) · 2025Article
- Genetic Testing Among Breast Cancer Patients in the Eastern Region of Saudi Arabia: Single-Center Experience.Journal of epidemiology and global health · 2024Article
- Online Search Interest in Gynecologists After the Release of the Film Barbie.JAMA network open · 2024Article
- Clinical Strategies in Gene Screening Counseling for the Healthy General Population.Korean journal of family medicine · 2024Article
- Personalized medicine with germline pathogenic variants: Importance of population- and region-wide evidence.Cancer science · 2023Review
- Changes in Minoxidil Prescribing After Media Attention About Oral Use for Hair Loss.JAMA network open · 2023Article
- A pilot study investigating feasibility of mainstreaming germline BRCA1 and BRCA2 testing in high-risk patients with breast and/or ovarian cancer in three tertiary Cancer Centres in Ireland.Familial cancer · 2023Article
- Exploring the Factors Associated with Mental Health Attitude in China: A Structural Topic Modeling Approach.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Primary care physician referral practices regarding BRCA1/2 genetic counseling in a major health system.Breast cancer research and treatment · 2022Article
- Behavioral Economics and Tobacco Control: Current Practices and Future Opportunities.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Insights and Strategies to Revive Brachytherapy Using Social Media: A Google Trends Analysis.Cureus · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo examine the effect on BRCA testing and mastectomy rates of a widely viewed 2013 New York Times editorial by public figure Angelina Jolie that endorsed BRCA testing and announced Jolie's decision to undergo preventive mastectomy.
designObservational study with difference-in-difference analysis.
settingCommercially insured US population.
participantsWomen aged 18-64 years with claims in the Truven MarketScan commercial claims database (n=9 532 836).
main outcome measuresChanges in BRCA testing rates in the 15 business days before versus after 14 May 2013 (editorial date) compared with the change in the same period in 2012; mastectomy rates in the months before and after publication, both overall and within 60 days of BRCA testing among women who were tested; national estimates of incremental tests and expenditures associated with Jolie's article in the 15 days after publication.
resultsDaily BRCA test rates increased immediately after the 2013 editorial, from 0.71 tests/100 000 women in the 15 business days before to 1.13 tests/100 000 women in the 15 business days after publication. In comparison, daily test rates were similar in the same period in 2012 (0.58/100 000 women in the 15 business days before 14 May versus 0.55/100 000 women in the 15 business days after), implying a difference-in-difference absolute daily increase of 0.45 tests/100 000 women or a 64% relative increase (P<0.001). The editorial was associated with an estimated increase of 4500 BRCA tests and $13.5m (£10.8m; €12.8) expenditure nationally among commercially insured adult women in those 15 days. Increased BRCA testing rates were sustained throughout 2013. Overall mastectomy rates remained unchanged in the months after publication, but 60 day mastectomy rates among women who had a BRCA test fell from 10% in the months before publication to 7% in the months after publication, suggesting that women who underwent tests as a result of to the editorial had a lower pre-test probability of having the BRCA mutation than women tested before the editorial.
conclusionsCelebrity endorsements can have a large and immediate effect on use of health services. Such announcements can be a low cost means of reaching a broad audience quickly, but they may not effectively target the subpopulations that are most at risk for the relevant underlying condition.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.