Breast cancer survivors who undergo reconstructive surgery using silicone implants have access to very little research-based information about the likely risks, according to a report released by the National Research Center (NRC) for Women & Families. Dr. Susan Wood, former director of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Office of Women, was a speaker at a National Press Club Newsmakers’ event where the report was released.
The FDA, Breast Cancer Survivors, and Silicone Implants warns that industry-funded data indicates that reconstructive surgery patients experience substantially more complications, ruptures and a greater need for additional corrective surgeries than women who receive implants for augmentation purposes.
The report also highlights FDA research showing that silicone implants interfere with mammography and may limit future breast cancer treatment options such as lumpectomy and sentinel node biopsy.