Implants Don't Increase Breast Cancer Risk in Women: Study

Getting breast implants does not increase a woman's breast cancer risk or interfere in detection procedure, say researchers from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Centre

"The question of how implants affect breast cancer risk and screening tests, like the mammogram, is a question that many women ask," said Dr Therese Bevers, medical director of the Cancer Prevention Centre at M. D. Anderson.

Breast Cancer - Causes, Risks, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Staging, Treatment, Prevention & Prognosis
Breast cancer is a cancer that affects the breasts or mammary glands. Early detection and lifestyle changes help in controlling breast cancer.

"The good news is that implants do not increase breast cancer risks. But, they also don't decrease them because women with implants still have their natural breast tissue," Bevers added.

The researchers advise to pay special attention to breasts and promptly reporting any changes to the doctor.

"The person most likely to find a lump in the breast is the woman herself," said Bevers.

Breast Self Examination
Slides and animation of Breast Self Examination for early detection of breast cancer lumps in women

"With implants, becoming familiar with your breasts is more difficult at first because the breast will have a different texture. It also will have new folds or dimples.

"But after a woman knows her new breasts, having implants should not get in the way of her noticing a change that might be cancer," she added.

Breast Augmentation
Losing sleep over the size of your breasts? Then wake up to breast enlargement! Consult us our specialists to realize your dream at affordable prices.

During a mammogram, images are collected by flattening the breast between two mammogram plates. Implants can get in the way of this flattening, which makes it difficult to see the breast as clearly.

However, according to the researchers, this doesn't mean that women with implants can't be screened for breast cancer. It just means that women with implants need additional pictures taken during the mammogram.

Pink Concert Alerts Woman to Her Ballooning Breast Implant
An Aussie woman, who woke up with one breast double the size of the other, said that had she not attended American singer Pink's concert, she would not have known there was

However, women also should be aware that the size of their implants can affect breast cancer testing.

"Very large implants can be more difficult to image with mammography," said Dr Elisabeth Beahm, F.A.C.S., a professor in the Department of Plastic Surgery at M. D. Anderson.

"So we suggest that women concerned about breast cancer not get extremely large implants. Stick with implants that fit your body type," she added.

Source-ANI
LIN