After years of warnings that there could be a link between breast implants and cancer, the US Food and Drug Administration is now confirming there is one. Susana Victoria Perez (@susana_vp) has more:
Nine women in the U.S. have died due to a rare cancer associated with their breast implants, federal officials announced recently.
The U.S. Food and Drug Association (FDA) reported that as of Feb. 1, the agency had received 359 reports of a cancer of the immune system, called anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL), linked to breast implants. According to the FDA the risk for the cancer appears to be higher with textured breast implants as opposed to smooth ones, but the agency is not yet sure why.
The FDA was able to determine whether the surfaces of the implants were textured or smooth for 231 of the implants. Among those, 203 were textured, compared to 28 that were smooth.
About 300,000 women in the U.S. get breast implants each year, and cancer from the implants is rare. However, the potential risks raise questions.
What are textured implants made of?
There are two types of breast implants that are approved in the United States: saline or silicone gel-filled implants. All breast implants have an outer layer that is made of silicone, but they can have different shapes, sizes and textures. They can also vary in thickness.
Time, excerpt posted on SouthFloridaReporter.com, April 6, 2017
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