Stage of breast cancer at diagnosis among women with cosmetic breast implants
2003

Breast Cancer Diagnosis in Women with Breast Implants

Sample size: 2955 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Hölmich L R, Mellemkjær L, Gunnarsdóttir K A, Tange U B, Krag C, Møller S, McLaughlin J K, Olsen J H

Primary Institution: Danish Cancer Society

Hypothesis

Do women with cosmetic breast implants experience a delay in breast cancer diagnosis compared to those without implants?

Conclusion

Women with cosmetic breast implants do not experience a delay in breast cancer diagnosis compared to women without implants.

Supporting Evidence

  • Women with breast implants had a similar stage of breast cancer at diagnosis compared to controls.
  • Only 0.8% of women with implants developed breast cancer after implantation.
  • The majority of women in the study were premenopausal at diagnosis.
  • Four times more women with implants had tumour cells in surgical margins compared to controls.

Takeaway

This study looked at women with breast implants and found that they get diagnosed with breast cancer just as quickly as women without implants.

Methodology

The study compared breast cancer cases in women with implants to a matched control group from the general population.

Potential Biases

Potential bias exists due to differences in treatment protocols and information quality between groups.

Limitations

The study had a small number of breast cancer cases and a relatively short follow-up time.

Participant Demographics

The mean age at breast cancer diagnosis was 47.2 years, with a range of 35-75 years.

Statistical Information

P-Value

0.36

Confidence Interval

95% CI 0.2–1.3

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1038/sj.bjc.6600819

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