Breast Implants and Cancer

While many people are concerned about media reports claiming that there is a link between breast implants and cancer, these claims are being disproven by recent studies.

For example, in a large study conducted by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), researchers found no correlation between silicone-filled breast implants and the risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer. Silicone implants were banned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1992 after questions arose concerning the safety of silicone leakage into the body. The NCI study, however, revealed no increased cancer risk from silicone implants. This good news is the first part of an intensive analysis conducted by the United States Congress to evaluate the long-term effects of silicone implants on women's health.

The study was conducted by having researchers analyze medical records and data from over 13,000 women who had breast implant surgery for cosmetic reasons between the time silicone implants entered the market and 1989. These women were compared to the general population and to women who had received other types of plastic surgery.

Significantly, the study found that in those women followed for more than 10 years, there was no change in breast cancer risk.

The NCI study is one of the largest studies on the long-term health effects of silicone breast implants ever conducted. Its results were a sigh of relief for women who had received implants and those cosmetic surgeons who had seen with their own eyes the benefits such surgery had had on their patients.

However, it also bears noting that x-rays used for mammograms cannot penetrate silicone or saline implants distinctly enough to fully image the underlying breast tissue. This means that cancer may be more difficult to detect in women at an earlier age. Accordingly, in order to minimize this risk, cosmetic surgeons recommend that women with implants undergo diagnostic mammography instead of screening mammography on a regular basis to achieve additional and deeper mammography views.

Millions of women have had breast implant surgery since implants first appeared on the market in 1962. The NCI statistics show that approximately 80% of women get breast implants for cosmetic reasons while 20% get implants to reconstruct their breasts after breast cancer surgery. Before silicone breast implants were banned, over 90% of implants were silicone implants, since silicone was, and is, thought to cause a more natural appearance, shape and feel than saline implants.

While there is much controversy surrounding silicone breast implants, many experienced cosmetic surgeons doubt silicone implants cause or contribute to any significant medical disease, including cancer. On the contrary, they appear to offer substantial benefits, both aesthetically and mentally, for the women who choose to have them.