Silicone breast implants & lack of cancer connections

This report in the April 19 Journal of the National Cancer Institute is fairly recent and something I meant to get around to highlighting.

An April 2006 report from the National Cancer Institute updated the world's most comprehensive long-term study of women with silicone implants and their risks of various cancers. Cancer-producing potential was one of the various claims made during the silicone histeria of the early 1990's.

In the report nearly 3500 women, who've been followed for an average of 18 years. Only 53 of the women developed breast cancer, compared to 71.9 cases that would have been expected in the general population. There were 180 total cancers in women with the breast implants, slightly fewer than the 193.1 that would have been expected. The women who received breast implants were more likely to develop lung cancer than other women: 20 developed it, compared to the 9.1 that would have been expected to have it. The researchers think this is because the Swedish women with implants were more likely to smoke.

This study is more reassuring information that continues to come in on the long-term safety of silicone implants.