Talk Back: Breast implants and cancer: Is the risk being downplayed -- or overplayed?
Breast implants might increase the risk of a rare type of cancer known as anaplastic large cell lymphoma -- or they might not.
Here's what we know. Among the 5 million to 10 million women worldwide who have implants, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has identified about 60 with ALCL. Compare that to the number of cases -- three -- of ALCL in the breast in the 100 million women worldwide without implants.
Clearly these are very different numbers. Just as clearly, these are not big numbers.
Related: FDA explores possible link between breast implants, cancer
The FDA said on its website: "Based on these data, the FDA believes that women with breast implants may have a very small but increased risk of ALCL."
The FDA did not urge anything more than vigilance -- but the possible connection has dominated health-related headlines, many of them alarming, in the days since. Who is overreacting? And who is underreacting?
Related: Breast implants linked to anaplastic large cell lymphoma -- but what is ALCL?
Photo: L.A.-area cosmetic surgeon Dr. James Wells holds a saline (left) and a silicone (right) implant. Either or both may be linked to ALCL. Or they may not. That's the status of things at the moment. Credit: Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times
Here's what we know. Among the 5 million to 10 million women worldwide who have implants, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has identified about 60 with ALCL. Compare that to the number of cases -- three -- of ALCL in the breast in the 100 million women worldwide without implants.Clearly these are very different numbers. Just as clearly, these are not big numbers.
Related: FDA explores possible link between breast implants, cancer
The FDA said on its website: "Based on these data, the FDA believes that women with breast implants may have a very small but increased risk of ALCL."
The FDA did not urge anything more than vigilance -- but the possible connection has dominated health-related headlines, many of them alarming, in the days since. Who is overreacting? And who is underreacting?
Related: Breast implants linked to anaplastic large cell lymphoma -- but what is ALCL?
Photo: L.A.-area cosmetic surgeon Dr. James Wells holds a saline (left) and a silicone (right) implant. Either or both may be linked to ALCL. Or they may not. That's the status of things at the moment. Credit: Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times
