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Breast augmentation: a risk factor for breast cancer?
H Berkel1, D C Birdsell, H Jenkins
1Division of Epidemiology and Preventive Oncology, Alberta Cancer Board, Edmonton, Canada.
The New England Journal of Medicine
|June 18, 1992
Summary
Women who have undergone breast augmentation with silicone implants show a reduced risk of breast cancer. This suggests implants do not significantly increase cancer risk and may indicate a pre-existing lower risk in this population.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Plastic Surgery
- Epidemiology
Background:
- A potential link between breast augmentation and increased breast cancer risk has been suggested.
- With millions of women undergoing breast augmentation, understanding this risk is crucial for public health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between cosmetic breast augmentation and the subsequent risk of developing breast cancer.
Main Methods:
- A population-based cohort-linkage study was conducted in Alberta, Canada.
- Included were 11,676 women who had cosmetic breast augmentation between 1973-1986.
- Compared to 13,557 women diagnosed with primary breast cancer, using cancer registry data to calculate standardized incidence ratios.
Main Results:
- Forty-one breast cancer cases were observed in the implant cohort, versus an expected 86.2 cases.
- This resulted in a standardized incidence ratio of 0.476, indicating a significantly lower risk (P < 0.01).
- Average follow-up was 10.2 years, with an average of 7.5 years from augmentation to diagnosis.
Conclusions:
- Women with silicone breast implants exhibit a lower risk of breast cancer compared to the general population.
- This suggests that women opting for augmentation may originate from a lower-risk group.
- The findings indicate that breast implants do not substantially elevate breast cancer risk.