It’s becoming clear that implant-related ALCL is a distinct clinical entity in itself.
— Suzanne Turner
There have been 71 known cases worldwide of a type of blood cancer called anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) that the researchers suggest were associated with the patient's breast implants. This means it is an extremely rare occurrence – for every three million breast implant procedures, the study estimates between one and six cases of ALCL. The ALCL was found to develop in patients, on average, 10 years after breast augmentation or reconstruction surgery. Studies have found no clear evidence of an increase in risk of any other type of cancer in women with breast implants.
ALCL typically appears in the lymph nodes, skin, lungs, liver and soft tissue. It almost only ever occurs in the breast area if the patient has had breast implants and, in these cases, the tumours always develop in the scar tissue around the implant capsule. The exact reasons why implants could possibly contribute to lymphoma have remained unclear, however.
Researchers, funded by the blood cancer charity Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research, examined case reports from patients and analysed medical literature. The findings are published in the journal Mutation Research.
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Image: Breast implant
Credit: US Food and Drink Administration
Reproduced courtesy of the University of Cambridge
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