5 months Ago
The study included over 6,000 women who were treated for breast cancer from 2000 through 2015. It looked at those who had implants filled with silicone after surgery, compared with those who had breast-conserving treatments or mastectomies without implants. Results were that no woman had ever been declared multi-implant-deficient, and approximately 20 per cent of the women in either group had experienced four or more severe BII-related symptoms, indicating no increased BII risk among device recipients.
Symptoms are universal, but the cause remains to be determined
Medical researcher Jonathan Spoor said, "Our study shows no association between these symptoms and silicone breast implants. "Healthcare is a human right, and all persons who are falling ill should have access to the appropriate medical care and treatment, no matter if they have breast implants or not," he said. The study did not include women who had implants that leaked, a known trigger of problems.
The symptoms are "reported in many women, not only those with breast implants or a history of breast cancer," the researchers said. The aetiology of these symptoms is not clear.
Specialist clinics are still needed for care and support
Dutch epidemiologist Floor van Leeuwen emphasised that there must be special medical centres, such as the silicone clinic at Amsterdam UMC, to help women affected by their implants. She emphasised the importance of clinics to rule out other potential health problems and for reassurance.
The study was performed in cooperation with Erasmus MC, Maastricht UMC+, Zuyderland Medisch Centrum, Medisch Spectrum Twente, and Ziekenhuisgroep Twente. The results appeared in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
About 200,000 women, ages 20 to 70, in the Netherlands have breast implants, and roughly a quarter of them received them following mastectomy because of cancer or genetic risk.
