FDA reviews safety of breast implants after link to rare cancer raises concerns

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) assembled a panel of experts for a two-day meeting on Monday to discuss the latest evidence about the risks and complications with implant devices.

Ny Magee

Mar 25, 2019

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Surprisingly, breast augmentation, and not derriere enhancement, remains the most popular form of cosmetic surgery in the U.S., according to the Miami Herald.

But U.S. medical authorities are revisiting the safety of breast implants as the debate rages on about their potential health effects.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) assembled a panel of experts for a two-day meeting on Monday to discuss the latest evidence about the risks and complications with implant devices.

The FDA will hear from researchers, plastic surgeons, patients and manufacturers along with their recommendations on how to reduce health risks.

Roughly 300,000 women reportedly opt to go under the knife each year to have their breasts surgically augmented, with another 100,000 women receiving implants for breast reconstruction after cancer surgery, the report states.

The agency has long said that implants are safe, however, health officials around the world are currently trying to handle a confirmed link between implants and a rare form of cancer, according to cbsnews.com.

The outlet notes that this is not breast cancer but a form of lymphoma called anaplastic large cell lymphoma, which attacks the immune system.

According to the report, Kimra Rogers was diagnosed with the disease after noticing a lump under her arm.

“I could feel a mass that was the size of an egg, it was an egg to a lemon [sized], it was very large,” she told “CBS This Morning” in 2017.

“I was never informed that I could possibly get cancer. Basically they said they’re 100 percent safe,” Rogers said.

“It is essential we try to understand breast implant illness,” said Stephanie Manson Brown, an executive with implant maker Allergan.

The panel will reportedly hear from dozens of women who have blamed their implants for a host of chronic health ailments, including rheumatoid arthritis, fatigue, muscle pain, hair loss, rashes and memory loss. Many of them have called on the FDA to issue new warnings and restrictions on implants.

“Don’t ignore us. We are real,” said Holly Davis, of Charleston, South Carolina. “We need to know what we’re signing up for — it can’t be a surprise down the road.”

In the U.S., silicone implants remain the preferred choice among women who consider them more natural looking than saline implants.