Implants not implicated in cancer recurrence.

• Position: Breast Reconstruction - Brief Article

Women interested in immediate breast reconstruction after mastectomy should not worry that their implants could cause, hinder detection of, or affect treatment of cancer recurrence, stresses a study by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Arlington Heights, Ill.

"For women contemplating immediate breast reconstruction, there is a lot of information being presented to them. As plastic surgeons, we want to help our patients feel better about their bodies without risking their safety and long-term health," states Andrea Pusic, member surgeon and coauthor of the study. "It is important for us to provide them with hard facts that show an implant does not increase the chance that their cancer could recur, delay the diagnosis of a recurrence, or affect the outcome."

In the study, women who had immediate breast reconstruction with an implant were compared, on the basis of age and stage of disease, to a group who had mastectomy without reconstruction. The incidence of local breast cancer recurrence in reconstructed patients (6.8%) was not significantly different from nonreconstructed patients (8.1%). In...