How safe are Silicon Breast Implants ?

Acomprehensive review of research on the safety of silicone breast implants has revealed that the practice does not increase the risk of cancer, connective tissue diseases, or other serious chronic diseases.

Lead authors Joseph K McLaughlin, PhD, and Loren Lipworth, ScD, of the International Epidemiology Institute, Rockville, Md, and the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tenn, performed the review to evaluate the risk of cancer after cosmetic breast implants. The results have been “remarkably consistent” in showing no evidence of an increase in breast cancer or other cancers among women with breast implants.

One study reported an increased risk of lung cancer, but that was explained by the much higher rate of smoking among women with implants. Another concern has been that implants would interfere with the detection of early-stage breast cancers by mammography. Some studies suggest that mammography may in fact be less sensitive in women with implants. However, no study till date has found evidence that breast cancer survival rates are lower in women with breast implants.