The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on March 21 released an update about its understanding of breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL).
The agency is aware of 414 cases of the disease. Clinical studies have estimated that for patients with textured implants, the lifetime risk of developing BIA-ALCL ranges from one in 3,817 to one in 30,000.
"The FDA has been closely tracking the relationship between breast implants and a rare type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma since we first identified this possible association," said Dr. Binita Ashar, director of the Division of Surgical Devices in the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health, in a statement. "We've been working to gather additional information to better characterize and quantify the risk so that patients and providers can have more informed discussions about breast implants."
