© 1999 by Oxford University Press
Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Vol. 91, No. 14, 1191,
July 21, 1999
© 1999 Oxford University Press
NEWS |
Institute of Medicine Finds No Link Between Breast Implants And Disease
After 2 years of reviewing more than 3,000 publications and hearing personal testimony from more than 60 women, a 13-member panel of national scientific experts selected by the Institute of Medicine found no link between breast implants and life-threatening diseases.
It is estimated that about 2 million U.S. women have breast implants.
"We could find no definitive evidence linking breast implants to cancer, immunological diseases, neurological problems, or other systemic diseases," said Stuart Bondurant, M.D., professor of medicine and dean emeritus, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, and chair, IOM Committee on the Safety of Silicone Breast Implants. "We concluded that women with breast implants are no more likely than other women to develop these system illnesses."
The panel was, however, concerned about the high rates of local complications with the implants — such as rupture and hardening or scarring of the breast tissue surrounding the implant — and strongly recommended that women be informed of these problems before consenting to the surgery.
"The primary safety concern associated with breast implants is local complications resulting in pain, disfigurement, infection, and other medical problems," concluded Bondurant at a news conference last month in Washington, D.C. "Many women simply were not given enough information about possible complications."
In 1997, the House of Representatives asked the IOM, one of the National Academies to which the nation's leaders often turn for advice, to conduct an independent study on the safety of silicone breast implants. Several agencies in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services contributed funds for the IOM study, including the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, the Offices of Women's Health at the Food and Drug Administration, and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and the National Cancer Institute.
Copies of the full report can be ordered from the National Academy Press at 202-334-3313 or 1-800-624-6242. The news release and a condensed copy of the report "Information for Women About the Safety of Silicone Breast Implants," is also available on the World Wide Web at http://www.nap.edu.
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