Many women worry about developing breast cancer, especially when it comes to invasive procedures. In fact, according to breastcancer.org, one out of every eight women in the United States will develop invasive breast cancer at some point in their lifetime. Here, you will learn whether breast augmentation leads to cancer or not.
Breast augmentation is one of the most popular cosmetic procedures in the world. More than 300,000 surgeries happen in the United States every year. Their number is growing.
Basically, breast augmentation is a full-scale surgery that tampers with the tissues. Hence, many patients fear the possibility of developing such dangerous conditions as cancer.
Can breast augmentation cause cancer? Let’s find out.
Understanding Breast Augmentation
Breast Augmentation is a surgical procedure with the help of which cosmetologists and doctors change the shape and size of a woman’s breasts. It is also called augmentation mammoplasty. Generally, there are two reasons why you need to perform breast augmentation:
- Cosmetic Reasons:This helps in making breasts larger, correcting asymmetrical breasts, or changing their shape.
- Reconstructive Reasons: Some women want to restore the volume of their breasts after pregnancy, weight loss, or even breast removal. Moreover, reconstruction also works when you want to increase the size of your breasts that are of different sizes.
Basically, during the breast augmentation procedure, the surgeon inserts breast implants under the chest muscle or breast tissue. Generally, these implants consist of sacs that are full of silicone or saline water. Moreover, the surgery mostly happens at an outpatient clinic or a hospital.
On the other hand, there is also a natural alternative to breast augmentation. This happens through fat transfer. Here, the surgeon brings out fat from the woman’s body through liposuction. Then, they inject the fat into the breasts of the woman. In some cases, this procedure surgeons call this process fat grafting.
Risk Factors To Breast Augmentation
The following are some of the major risk factors for breast augmentation:
- Improper incision placement
- Excessive tissue manipulation
- Incorrect implant placement
- Poor surgical technique
- Inadequate hemostasis (control of bleeding)
Does Breast Augmentation Cause Cancer?
Different research came up to show whether implants can lead to cancer. According to Seattle breast augmentation surgeons at LaBelleVie and other board-certified doctors and qualified medical professionals, there is currently no evidence linking breast implants to breast cancer.
There are reasons why some women may find out about cancer after or even before getting implants. This depends on the fact that there are many tests before the actual surgery happens. So, patients discover tumors during the preparation procedures rather than after the insertion of the implant.
Generally, breast implants haven’t been linked to the appearance of breast cancer. However, they may increase the risk of developing a certain type of cancer. Actually, it is the Breast Implant-Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma or BI-AALCL.
What Is BI-AALCL?
BI-AALCL is an uncommon type of lymphoma that occurs around the implants after breast augmentation. It’s more common in women who opt for breast implants having surface textures.
BI-AALCL is an immune system cancer, NOT breast cancer. The risk of developing such cancer is rather low. One in about 30,000 women develops BI-AALCL after opting for breast augmentation with textured implants. However, if doctors discover the problem early enough, it is easy to cure.
The symptoms of this type of cancer include:
- Unexpected breast enlargement
- Breast asymmetry
- Lump in the breast or armpit
- Hardening of the breast
- Fluid collection
If a patient experiences such symptoms, she must contact a doctor immediately in order to prevent cancer from spreading.
BIA ALCL can occur in patients who have chosen silicone or saline implants. Also, one can find it regardless of the type of surgery, be it breast reconstruction or breast enlargement.
As of today, no cases of women developing BI-AALCL after installing a smooth implant have been reported. If a patient opts for textured implants, the doctor must monitor her for several years after the surgery. Today, it’s not possible to run tests in order to understand which patients are prone to this disease.
Should You Remove My Breast Augmentation And Implants?
If you have textured implants, it doesn’t mean you will develop BI-AALCL. All the findings show that the risk of getting such cancer is quite low. Removing the implants is a drastic measure that should be discussed with the surgeon and the physician.
In the majority of cases, women with textured implants should be monitoring the condition of their breasts carefully in order not to miss the first signs of the disease.
For the majority of patients with stage 1 BI-AALCL, the cancer is confined in a capsule. Early treatment involves surgical removal. The survival rate of patients with such cancer is 89% over 5 years. The rate is much higher for women who are diagnosed early and who have the implant and the capsule removed timely.
Breast Augmentation And Cancer: The Way Forward
Does breast augmentation cause breast cancer? No. However, it can lead to an uncommon form of immune system cancer, which is well-treatable if caught early enough.
Do you have more information to add about breast augmentation? Please share them in the comments section below.
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