Last week, we learned that a rare case of lymphoma, called anaplastic large cell (ALCL), would be associated with the wearing of breast prostheses. Information presented in early March in a report by experts from the National Cancer Institute (INCa) and revealed by Le Parisien. The Ministry of Health had reacted very quickly, to reassure women with implants (about 400,000 in France). Today, the daily reveals a second death among the 18 cases of ALCL recorded in France, as well as a nineteenth new case. Announcements that would have been made by Agnès Buzyn, director of INCa, during a “monitoring committee”.
Tension is therefore mounting at the Ministry of Health, faced with this unprecedented situation; it is indeed the first time that a cancer has been directly linked to an implantable device. Yesterday, at the end of the follow-up committee, which brought together health authorities, learned societies of surgeons and patient associations, the General Directorate of Health announced the creation of a register of breast implant carriers.
Despite the recent PIP prostheses scandal, and its 4,000 victims, nothing had yet been done in this direction, as Joëlle Manighetti, representative of the victims, points out in the columns of Le Parisien.
The associations of victims have since last week had to deal with the concern of women with breast implants, many of whom are looking for answers to their questions. But difficult to answer and even less to give advice, insofar as, for the moment, the scientists have no explanation to link the prostheses to the LAGC. At most, we know that 100% of cases concern so-called “textured” prostheses. According to The Parisianthe track of an allergic reaction which would occur in certain women, possibly having a genetic predisposition, is explored.
A moratorium has been requested by the associations, while the surgeons, who have expressed their “reservations” about the establishment of the register, according to Le Parisien, also believe that the alerts are “exaggerated”. Statistically, the risk of ALCL remains low, but cases have been identified in several countries, 174 in total, and this second death in France is likely to increase women’s concern. The National Medicines Agency (ANSM) will meet tomorrow, Friday, to decide on the measures to be taken; a ban on certain prostheses is not excluded.
