Canada should set up and administer a registry of women with breast implants and seek more information about the long-term safety of the silicone-gel form of the devices, an expert scientific panel says in its long-awaited report.
Silicone breast implants were taken off the Canadian market by manufacturers in 1992 – 30 years after they were first approved – when Health Canada raised concerns about their safety. The devices were also removed from the U.S. market.
‘‘Now that we’ve received the report, it becomes an element of the body of evidence that needs to be reviewed in order to make a decision as to whether or not the gel-filled breast implants should be authorized for sale in Canada,’’ Health Canada spokeswoman Nathalie Lalonde said.