Mortality among augmentation mammoplasty patients.

Area of Science:

• Medical research
• Epidemiology
• Plastic surgery

Background:

• Previous research focused on disease risks associated with silicone breast implants.
• Limited data exists on the mortality experience of women with breast implants.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the mortality experience of women who received cosmetic silicone breast implants.
• To compare mortality rates between implant recipients and a control group undergoing other plastic surgery procedures.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort study involving 13,488 women with cosmetic implants and 3,936 comparison patients.
• Follow-up averaged 13 years across 18 plastic surgery practices.
• Standardized mortality ratios (SMR) and confidence intervals (CI) were calculated.

Main Results:

• Both implant and comparison groups had lower overall mortality than the general U.S. population (SMR 0.69 and 0.58, respectively).
• Implant patients showed increased mortality risks for brain cancer (SMR 2.45) and suicide (SMR 1.54) compared to the general population.
• Internal comparison revealed higher overall mortality in implant patients versus comparison patients (relative risk 1.27), with excess risks for respiratory and brain cancers, and suicide.

Conclusions:

• Patients seeking plastic surgery, including breast implants, generally exhibit better health and lower overall mortality than the general population.
• Silicone breast implant recipients experienced elevated risks for specific causes of death, including brain cancer and suicide, when compared internally and to the general population.