City oncologists yesterday were flooded with calls about genetic screening and the kind of preventative double mastectomy Angelina Jolie revealed she underwent after testing positive for a gene mutation that indicates a likelihood of breast and ovarian cancer.
“This morning, I got two phone calls from women who had tested positive for the BRCA mutation in the past but had not decided to go forward with the surgery yet,” said Dr. Deborah Axelrod, 55, a top breast-cancer expert at NYU’s Langone Medical Center
“They said they wanted to now because they had read the Angelina Jolie article,” said Axelrod, who has appeared on “Larry King Live,” “Dr. Oz” and “The Martha Stewart Show.”
“One of the women had cancer in one breast and is having her ovaries removed next month,” Axelrod added. “She called this morning and said she wanted to go forward with the double mastectomy.”
Dr. Alexander Swistel, a breast-cancer expert at New York Presbyterian Hospital, said women were calling his office with the same message.
“I had patients who said, ‘I think this is a smart thing to do. I’m going to go ahead and do this now,’ ” Swistel said.
Another surgeon, Dr. Elisa Port of Mount Sinai Medical Center, said many of her patients wanted to talk about Jolie.
“There were many more questions from patients and their family members about whether they should be tested,” Port said. “There’s no question this will be on people’s radar and it makes people ask: How does this apply to them?”
And the phones at the office of Dr. Rache Simmons, another New York Presbyterian surgeon, were “ringing off the hook” because of Jolie, a receptionist told The Post.
Meanwhile, other women who have had breast cancer or are facing surgery also came forward to share their stories.
Zoraida Sambolin, co-anchor of CNN’s “Early Start,” said on her Facebook page that she was diagnosed with breast cancer and will take time off to undergo a double mastectomy — and credited Jolie’s New York Times’ op-ed piece for giving her the courage to talk about it.
“I have chosen to have genetic testing, not because it runs in my family but because at the end of the day, I have a lot of girls in my family, and I figure . . . it starts somewhere,” Sambolin said on her show.
Laura Royse, an outreach coordinator for the support group FORCE (Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered), also praised the actress.
“I definitely think that her story and her image will bring a lot more attention and focus,” said Royse, 36, who tested positive for the mutation in 2008 and had a prophylactic mastectomy the next year. “Her story is definitely going to help save lives.”
Jamie Pleva-Nickerson, 33, of Westchester, was tested for the gene after her sister was diagnosed with — and later died from — breast cancer.
“They told me I had the gene,” she said, adding that she could have opted for continued screening but chose instead to have a prophylactic double mastectomy.
“After talking to everyone, I decided I’m not doing cancer. I watched my sister go through [it]. This was good for me. This gives me peace,” Pleva-Nickerson said, while praising Jolie.
“I applaud her for her courage. I appreciate the fact that she’s speaking out. It’s helping educate and empower young women.”
Additional reporting by Candace Amos