What about that FDA alert regarding breast implants?
Posted in Cosmetic Services on February 3, 2011
Recently, the FDA issued an alert regarding the potential association of a very rare cancer and breast implant patients.
The disorder -anaplastic large cell lymphoma- i s extraordinarily rare with perhaps 60 cases reported world wide. The incidence in the US is less than 1:500,000. Of these cases there appears to be a statistically skewed number of patients with prior silicone breast implants. It is unclear that there is any relation to the implants other than coincidence. Given the extreme rarity of this disorder it would appear that there is little concern with breast implantation risk. Other studies seeming to show a slight statistical reduction in breast cancers after breast implants would be a far more important consideration.
Sincerely,
Ludwig Allegra, MD