Melbourne Plastic Surgery Blog

Melbourne Plastic Surgery Blog

Information regarding breast implant associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma

Thursday, June 28, 2018

Following renewed media interest regarding the correlation between breast implants and an increased risk of developing Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Mr Mutimer thought the timing pertinent to outline key information related to BIA-ALCL.  

The following information has been sourced from the Australasian Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeon’s website and summarises what we know to date:

FACTS ASSOCIATED WITH BIA-ALCL

  1. It is a cancer of lymphatic cells and a form of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
  2. It is not a breast cancer.
  3. It occurs in association with breast implants and to date exclusively with exposure to textured implants (i.e. No case has been reported with exposure to smooth implants alone).
  4. It occurs in women who have had implants for both cosmetic and reconstructive indications.
  5. It takes an average of 7-10 years after implant insertion before it develops.
  6. The commonest presentation is a fluid swelling around the breast implant and in the space between the implant and breast implant capsule – late seroma. The diagnosis of the condition is made by examination of the seroma fluid.
  7. Early stage disease is curative with surgery alone.
  8. Disease which has spread through the capsule, forming a mass or which has spread to local lymph glands carries a worse prognosis.

RISK 

The most accurate assessment of risk published to date is from a detailed study of numerator and denominator in Australia and New Zealand. This showed that the risk for implants with high surface area texture (biocell, Alllergan and polyurethane, Silimed) were around 10 times higher (1 in 4,000 to 1 in 7,000) compared with implants with lower surface area texture (1 in 60000 for siltex Mentor). The risk was calculated only for companies that complied with a request for provision of sales data.

We did see ALCL arising from other implant manufacturers, but were not able to calculate risk due to their refusal to supply data for analysis.

The study also identified clusters of multiple cases arising from the same practice. These clusters are currently under investigation, with the consent of the centre and/or surgeon, and there is insufficient evidence presently

to comment as to likely causative factors.


CAUSATION

Recent media stories suggested that there is a link with cut-price providers. No such link that has been established to date by analysis of the evidence.

A unifying theory was proposed by the ANZ epidemiology paper and has become widely accepted worldwide as the best explanation for factors that cause BIA-ALCL.

The unifying theory cites four inter-related factors:

  1. Textured implants (with a higher risk for high surface area textures)
  2. Bacterial contamination at the time of surgery to reach a threshold to cause inflammation
  3. Patient genetic predisposition
  4. Time - for the process to develop.
Bacteria have been identified in association with these tumours, similar to the association between gastric lymphoma and Helicobacter pylori.

I'VE HAD BREAST IMPLANTS OR AM CONSIDERING SURGERY - WHAT SHOULD I DO NEXT? 

If you currently have breast implants and are concerned you should consult with a Specialist Plastic Surgeon who will determine what type of implants you have and address your concerns.

Similarly if you are considering breast implant surgery it is important to schedule a consultation with a Specialist Plastic Surgeon to discuss the risks and benefits, including the risk of BIA-ALCL. There are different types of implants available and selection needs to take into account the risks and benefits of specific choices.

For more information or to book a Consultation with Mr Keith Mutimer – Specialist Plastic Surgeon phone 03 9592 0522 or submit a confidential enquiry via our website.

 

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Breast Implant Study

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

On 11/11/14 The Herald Sun Newspaper reported on a recent breast implant study - linking breast implants to breast cancer.  

 The Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons have issued the following media release in response to this study:


 

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Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update – Monday 30 March 2020

As we continue to closely monitor and respond  ..

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As we continue to closely monitor and respond to the current COVID-19 situation, we’d like to advise of the following changes to our business operations as of 30th March 2020.

We remain open, however our surgeons are currently only seeing patients for skin cancers and trauma. As a result, our practice may operate on limited hours some days.

Wherever possible we have moved to telehealth for other appointments.   We are not able to undertake any wrinkle reduction or cosmetic treatments until further notice, we are however taking bookings for when it is safe to resume.

For urgent (trauma) cases arising after hours – we’ve added after hour surgeon contact details to our main office phone. If you call and our practice is closed, you’ll receive further instruction. Please note that contacting surgeons out of hours is only for urgent cases.

We thank you for your understanding and patience as we navigate these challenging times.

Please follow us on Facebook to stay abreast of any new developments as we’ll post timely updates there, and on our website. As always if you have any questions or concerns please call the practice on 03 9592 0522.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update – Tuesday 24th March 2020

The team at Brighton Plastic Surgery would lik ..

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The team at Brighton Plastic Surgery would like to assure clients that we continue to closely monitor the unfolding COVID-19 situation and are implementing all necessary safety measures and closely following Health Department Guidelines.

Our practice continues to operate at this time however many changes are in place. Additional measures have been implemented to protect our patients and staff at this uncertain time. Some of these include:

  • Hand wash stations: you’ll find these at our entrance. All people entering our premises are required to thoroughly wash hands on arrival, and upon leaving.
  • Phone appointments – it is not always possible, however where we’re able we are now providing phone consultations, limiting the number of people passing through our practice whilst still providing important patient care and guidance.
  • Limited number of people in our practice at any given time– at this time only essential support people may attend a client’s appointment.  Please be mindful that as a support person you may be asked to wait in your car. If you are attending an appointment on your own, you may also be asked to wait in your car until we are ready for your appointment. The seating capacity in the reception area is deliberately very limited
  • Cashless payments – We’ve moved to cashless payments wherever possible.
If you are unwell you will not be able to attend the practice for your appointment. Please phone us and we will guide you in regard to your ongoing care.

If you have an upcoming appointment our staff will contact you to discuss how this will be managed for you.

We thank you for your understanding and patience as we navigate these challenging times.

Please follow us on Facebook to stay abreast of any new developments as we’ll post timely updates there, and on our website. As always if you have any questions or concerns please call the practice on 03 9592 0522.

Important update regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Coronavirus (COVID-19) is understandably causi ..

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Coronavirus (COVID-19) is understandably causing a lot of concern and social disruption in both our local community and worldwide. We are following Health Department Guidelines and have measures in place with the aim of keeping our valued patients and staff as safe as possible.

Brighton Plastic Surgery would like to reassure all our patients that we are currently open and seeing patients. There is no need to cancel your appointment unless you have travelled overseas in the last 14 days or are currently unwell with COVID-19 compatible symptoms. If this is the case, please call 03 9592 0522 and we will reschedule your appointment. 

If you have any questions or concerns about upcoming surgeries or appointments, don’t hesitate to contact us.