The influence of silicone implants on breast malignancies

Abstract

Although silicone implants had been used in United States of America since the beginning of the 60s for breast augmentation or reconstruction, its carcinogenic action was strongly argued from the results of experimental studies in 1987, where a relationship with the development of sarcomas was suggested. In 1992 based on a nonrepresentative number of cases, the Food and Drug Administration declared a moratorium for the use of those devices. In this article, the authors present a broad review of medical literature about the association between the use of breast silicone prosthesis and the development of breast cancers, supported by substantial and consistent scientific information gathered from clinical experiences, case reports, epidemiological studies and systematic reviews of specific issues, and conclude that there is no scientific evidence that risk of cancer occurrence can be related to silicone implants.