Credit: FDA
A newly published review provides insight into anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (ALCL) associated with breast implants.
Previous reports have demonstrated a link between breast implants and ALCL, but the reasons why implants may contribute to this type of lymphoma have remained unclear.
So Suzanne Turner, PhD, of the University of Cambridge in the UK, and her colleagues evaluated the 71 recorded cases of implant-associated ALCL (iALCL).
The researchers recounted their findings in Mutation Research/Reviews in Mutations Research.
The team calculated that the absolute risk of developing iALCL is low, ranging from 1:500,000 to 1:3,000,000 patients with breast implants per year.
Among the 71 cases of iALCL, the average patient was 50 years of age. The average time from breast augmentation/reconstruction to iALCL diagnosis was 10 years.
Most of the cases presented in the capsule surrounding the implant, as part of the periprosthetic fluid or the capsule itself.
The majority of cases were ALK-negative but had a good prognosis. Of the 49 cases where information on the patients’ progress was available, there were 5 deaths.
Some patients received chemotherapy and radiotherapy, but many achieved remission once the implant and surrounding tissue were removed. This suggests it is the body’s abnormal immune response to the implant that is causing iALCL, the researchers said.
There is some evidence to suggest that having any type of prosthetic implant can increase the risk of lymphoma. And some researchers have suggested that lifestyle differences between patients with and without breast implants may be at the root of iALCL.
But Dr Turner and her colleagues said the biological features of lymphomas in the presence of implants, such as the lack of ALK and the proximity to the implant, suggest a real link.
“It’s becoming clear that implant-related ALCL is a distinct clinical entity in itself,” Dr Turner said. “There are still unanswered questions, and only by getting to the bottom of this very rare disease will we be able to find alternative ways to treat it.”
