Angelina Jolie's announcement that she has undergone a preventive double mastectomy to lessen her risk of developing cancer places her at the forefront of stars who have been affected by the disease. Others include...
Actress Christina Applegate had a bilateral mastectomy in 2008. Doctors had diagnosed her with cancer in her left breast and offered her the options of either radiation treatment and testing for the rest of her life or removal of both breasts.
KISS band member Peter Criss sat down with CNN's Elizabeth Cohen in 2009, a year after his battle with breast cancer. The musician said he wanted to increase awareness of the fact that men can also get the disease.
In 2006 singer Sheryl Crow underwent minimally invasive surgery for breast cancer. In 2012 she revealed she had a noncancerous brain tumor.
Zoraida Sambolin was diagnosed with breast cancer on April 9, and has chosen to have a double mastectomy. "Angelina empowered me to share my story," she writes for CNN.
"Good Morning America" co-host Robin Roberts had been cancer-free for five years in 2012 after beating breast cancer when she revealed she had been diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome, also called MDS.
Cynthia Nixon not only joined the cast of Showtime's "The Big C," about a woman battling the disease, and portrayed a woman with cancer in the Broadway play "Wit," she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006.
"Three's Company" star Suzanne Somers spoke with CNN's Piers Morgan in 2012 about her stem cell surgery and her bout with breast cancer. She was diagnosed in 2001, which is when she began researching alternative methods to reconstructive surgery.
Olivia Newton-John was diagnosed in 1992 and the singer has since become an advocate for breast self-examination.
Singer Melissa Etheridge has become an advocate for the use of medical marijuana following her 2004 breast cancer diagnosis.
E! co-host Giuliana Rancic underwent a double mastectomy in 2011 following a breast cancer diagnosis.
Actress Kathy Bates didn't share news of her battle until 2012 -- eight years after she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
Australian singer Kylie Minogue was only 36 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005.
(CNN) -- Actress Angelina Jolie announced in a New York Times op-ed article on Tuesday that she underwent a preventive double mastectomy after learning she carries a mutation of the BRCA1 gene, which doctors told her greatly increases her risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer.
Hollywood responded with a virtual standing ovation as several celebrities hailed Jolie for her bravery in both having the surgery and sharing her story to benefit others. Her partner of many years and father of her children, Brad Pitt, released a statement in part saying "Having witnessed this decision firsthand, I find Angie's choice, as well as many others like her, absolutely heroic."
He also thanked her medical team and said, "All I want is for her to have a long and healthy life, with myself and our children. This is a happy day for our family."
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