Breast implants are in crisis again. After various scandals, including the PIP affair in 2010 (which had lifted the veil on the dubious practices of certain professionals), an even more worrying observation was made:breast implants are responsible for a certain type of cancer!
A particular cancer…
It was the newspaper Le Parisien who carried out the investigation:the implants are not implicated for breast cancer as one might think, but they would be responsible for a particular tumor called "anaplastic large cell lymphoma". In three years, 18 cases have been recorded in France for a total of 173 worldwide and this number is only increasing more and more rapidly. One person has also died from the disease. This discovery therefore worries many countries who are all trying to discover the exact causes.
Implant surface causes inflammation
If breast implants are singled out, it is because they are the only common denominator of all sufferers. But it would seem that it is not the contents of the implant itself that are at fault:it is an inflammation that occurs on the surface of the prosthesis.
Is Allergan Responsible?
Of the 18 French cases reported to the National Medicines Safety Agency (ANSM), 14 concern victims with prostheses manufactured by Allergan. An alarming number that raises questions but currently finds no explanation, still according to Le Parisien. The company denies and ensures full transparency on its practices. Manufacturing inspections had already taken place in 2012 and 2013 at this company and others as well, the results had shown no particular anomalies. New inspections should therefore see the light of day to determine if the manufacturer is responsible or if it is a simple coincidence. No brand has therefore been directly implicated.
You should see a doctor every year
Nearly 400,000 French women wear breast implants. Among them, four out of five women had surgery for aesthetic reasons, the others unfortunately had to have surgery for reconstruction following breast cancer. Today, they are not always well advised, while a follow-up is highly recommended. Women with implants must be examined by a practitioner every year, but this is still far from being a recommendation followed to the letter.
A small but very real risk
It is essential that the next ones who will settle on the operating table are warned of this new risk, although it is low. Information leaflets have also been sent to all healthcare professionals for distribution to patients.
Towards a ban?
In ten days, a crucial meeting will be held at the National Medicines Safety Agency to discuss the subject. Some advocate a modernization of the health system aimed at strengthening the monitoring and traceability of medical devices when others say they are already in favor of an outright ban on breast implants. The director of the ANSM also claims that if the experts decide by majority to vote for the ban, they have the necessary power to make it happen.
