Implants not implicated in cancer recurrence

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), Oct, 2005

Women interested in immediate breast reconstruction after mastectomy should not worry that their implants could cause, hinder detection of, or affect treatment of cancer recurrence, stresses a study by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Arlington Heights, Ill.

"For women contemplating immediate breast reconstruction, there is a lot of information being presented to them. As plastic surgeons, we want to help our patients feel better about their bodies without risking their safety and long-term health," states Andrea Pusic, member surgeon and coauthor of the study. "It is important for us to provide them with hard facts that show an implant does not increase the chance that their cancer could recur, delay the diagnosis of a recurrence, or affect the outcome."

In the study, women who had immediate breast reconstruction with an implant were compared, on the basis of age and stage of disease, to a group who had mastectomy without reconstruction. The incidence of local breast cancer recurrence in reconstructed patients (6.8%) was not significantly different from nonreconstructed patients (8.1%). In addition, the implants did not hinder early detection of recurrence. Ninety-five percent of recurrences initially were detected by physical examination of the breast during regular check-ups with their plastic surgeon or oncologist. Five percent of recurrences were detected through a computer-assisted tomography (CT) or bone scan.

The treatment for recurrence was not affected by the implants and did not generally require their removal. In the study, only three of the 21 patients who experienced a recurrence had their implants removed after treatment, and two of those patients specifically requested they be taken out for personal reasons.

In 2004, almost 63,000 women had breast reconstruction after mastectomy. The American Cancer Society, Atlanta, estimates 211,240 new cases of invasive breast cancer will occur in 2005 and more than 40,000 women will die from the disease.