Anger as Britain fails to ban breast implants that have been linked to the deaths of at least 61 women
- Textured implants used by UK clinics even though they are outlawed elsewhere
- More than 40 women are taking legal action against products’ manufacturers
- Smooth implants are also available and have no proven link to lymphoma
At least 61 women in Britain have been diagnosed with cancer linked to a type of breast implants – but the health products regulator has refused to ban them.
Textured breast implants are used by UK clinics even though they are outlawed in France and Australia over their link to anaplastic large cell lymphoma.
More than 40 women are taking legal action against the products’ manufacturers and their lawyers have called for the implants to be pulled from the market. Smooth implants are also available and have no proven link to lymphoma, a cancer of white blood cells.
Textured breast implants are used by UK clinics even though they are outlawed in France and Australia over their link to anaplastic large cell lymphoma. Pictured is a file photo of a breast implant
Breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) leads to a build-up of fluid around the implant and can cause swelling, pain and lumps. Early treatment is vital. Allergan, a major manufacturer of textured breast implants, has taken them off the market.
Despite this, the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has not ordered others to follow suit, claiming the cancer is very rare.
Sarah Moore, a solicitor at Leigh Day, which is representing some of the women, told The Guardian: ‘I think there has been misdiagnosis and under-diagnosis – in the last 18 months there have been 17 more reported cases of ALCL. I think we’re going to see a significant increase in diagnosis.’ Although France and Australia have banned all new textured implants, they have not suggested that women who have them already should remove them.
NHS England, the MHRA and the NHS Business Service Authority do not know how many women who had a mastectomy following breast cancer were given the potentially dangerous implants.
The MHRA said: ‘We understand the concern that some individuals may have about this very rare disease. Research is ongoing in the UK and worldwide to better understand how BIA-ALCL develops. Our advice remains unchanged: There is no new evidence of an increased risk.’
Some of Miss Moore’s clients were not warned of the potential cancer risk despite undergoing surgery in 2016, when the link had been highlighted.
‘They feel incredibly angry,’ she said. Miss Moore told the Daily Mail that there are hundreds of women she cannot represent who are worried about their implants but cannot afford to pay for private surgery to get them out.
The current MHRA advice is that it is not clinically necessary to get them removed.
The lawyer also expressed her shock that the regulator had ‘not been monitoring it [the risk] more closely’ and that it could not provide numbers for the amount of women at risk. She called for all textured breast implants to be banned and for tougher rules on plastic surgery.
n A breast cancer test to determine any woman’s likelihood of being diagnosed may be just five years away, experts claim. Currently only women with a family history of breast cancer or relatives carrying faulty genes are risk-tested on the NHS.
Breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) leads to a build-up of fluid around the implant and can cause swelling, pain and lumps. File photo of an implant