Study: Implants May Inhibit Breast Cancer Detection

NEW YORK -- Millions of women have breast implants, making them the third most common type of plastic surgery.

But those women may not know breast implants may delay the detection of breast cancer by making the cancer harder to find on a mammogram, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Researchers from the Group Health Cooperative in Seattle evaluated data from seven U.S. mammography registries, comparing the results of more than 1 million mammography films of women with and without implants.

"We found that breast implants interfere with the detection of breast cancer," said Dr. Diana Miglioretti, the study's lead researcher. "Screening mammography missed 55 percent of breast cancers in women with breast implants compared to only 37 percent of breast cancers in women without implants."

Miglioretti said that typically, implants show up as a solid white mass on a mammogram, blocking the view of the breast tissue on the mammography film. There is no way to completely fix the problem, but there is a way to get around the implant for better views. It's called implant displacement views.

"These views attempt to move the implant out of the way to maximize the amount of breast tissue that they can see on the mammogram film," Miglioretti said.

She said she was surprised that even though breast cancer was missed more often in women with implants, once the cancer was detected, it wasn't in a more advanced stage than the women who caught the cancer earlier.

"Women with breast implants are encouraged by their physicians to check their breasts regularly for any problems with the breast implant, so this may make it easier for them to find the tumors themselves," she said.

While mammograms missed 55 percent of breast cancer in women with implants, experts say they are still the most effective method of detecting breast cancer in women with or without implants. The researchers advised women with breast implants to go to a mammography facility that has experience with implants.

The study was funded by the National Cancer Institute. Miglioretti is a statistical consultant for Silimed Inc., which manufactures breast implants.