Angelina Jolie.
Angelina Jolie. (New York Times)

ESCONDIDO, calif. — Less than two weeks after Angelina Jolie revealed she'd had a double mastectomy to avoid breast cancer, her aunt died from the disease Sunday.



According to her husband, Debbie Martin had the same defective BRCA1 gene that Jolie does but didn't know it until after her 2004 cancer diagnosis.


Debbie Martin's death was first reported by E! News.


Jolie, 37, said in her op-ed that her doctors estimated that she had a 50 percent risk of getting ovarian cancer but an 87 percent risk of breast cancer, so she had her breasts removed first, reducing her likelihood to a mere 5 percent.


The story spurred a broad discussion of genetic testing and pre-emptive surgery.


At the same time, some breast surgeons are discomfited that some might infer from the article that reconstructive surgery is a quick and easy procedure, and worry that Jolie inadvertently might have understated the risks and potential complications.

The New York Times contributed to this report.