A company that makes breast implants for women is being taken to court over allegations that these implants trigger breast cancer in women.
The case is against the makers of Allergan Biocell implants – Britain’s most popular range – which have been withdrawn from sale in this country.
Allegations that breast implants can trigger cancer have been made in the UK since 2011. Now the class action case is set to bring the claims to the attention of a court.
In a separate development, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is examining whether a condition known as Breast Implant Illness should be officially recognised as a possible risk or side effect of breast augmentation surgery.
Six of the women in the class action are understood to have developed anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) – a rare blood cancer that has been linked to textured implants. Others claim they were not sufficiently warned of the risks of the surgery.
Medical authorities are advising that the implants do not need to be removed. But the case will be of concern to the estimated 500,000 women who have had implants in the UK – around 3 per cent.
POSSIBLE TOXINS IN THE GEL OF THE IMPLANTS
It is not known why Biocell’s ‘highly textured’ implants – which have lost their safety licence in Europe – have been linked to cancer but possible explanations could be toxins in the gel and shell of the implants, the abrasiveness of the shell or bacterial contamination during surgery.
The risk is still considered very small. Only 57 women in Britain have been diagnosed with ALCL linked to the implants – with only one death. Experts believe the risk equates to one in 28,000 implants – although one study suggested the Allergan brand came with a risk of one in every 3,800. Doctors have found ALCL can be treated effectively in most cases if implants are removed. But it can spread and be fatal if missed. Warning signs include swelling or pain at the site of the implant, or fluid beneath the skin.
The MHRA said: ‘At present there is no need for women to remove their implants based on current evidence.’
Allergan said in a statement: ‘We’ve had 57 reports of breast implant-related ALCL. The safety of [our] implants is supported by extensive pre-clinical device testing, more than a decade of worldwide clinical use, as well as a large number of peer-reviewed and published studies.’
A NEW TYPE OF ILLNESS CALLED BREAST IMPLANT ILLNESS
Meanwhile, Breast Implant Illness is being examined by the MHRA over concerns that it is a ‘new type of illness’.
In the US, Breast Implant Illness is listed on regulator the Food and Drug Administration’s website as a possible ‘risk and complication’ of breast augmentation surgery. Symptoms can include choking, heart palpitations, brain fog, rashes, hair loss, joint pain, anxiety and depression.
The MHRA said in a statement: ‘Because it’s an evolving diagnosis, the World Health Organisation only classified it as a condition fairly recently, it’s reasonable to assess that it probably is underdiagnosed.
Presenter Abbie Eastwood told Channel 4’s Dispatches of how breast implants affected her health after she had the surgery when she was 25.
She said: ‘My hair fell out, I had memory fog, aches and pains, utter exhaustion. I had to stop work. I spent whole days in bed.’
An NHS spokesman said: ‘While there isn’t currently any clinical evidence that these symptoms represent a new kind of illness, women experiencing them should seek medical advice at the earliest opportunity.’
Some women have always suspected that with the delicate nature of breast, tampering with them could trigger all sorts including cancer especially for those from families prone to cancer.
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