Fw: Brain, Lung Cancers Linked to Breast Implants

[Guest guest]

From: " Ilena Rose " <ilena@...>

Sent: Tuesday, May 08, 2001 10:02 AM

Subject: Brain, Lung Cancers Linked to Breast Implants

> little do most people know that most of the " critics " are highly funded PR

> Machines thru ACSH and junkscience.com ... paid to be critical of anything

> that might hurt the bottom line of their clients ~~~

>

>

>

> EXCERPTS:

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> " This is a polarized issue, " says Klein. " Unfortunately the ones lost in

> the middle are the women with implants. "

>

>

>

> Brain, Lung Cancers Linked to Breast Implants

>

> But critics question how conclusions were reached

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>

>

> By Fran BergerHealthScout Reporter

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>

>

> THURSDAY, April 26 (HealthScout) -- The debate over the safety of breast

> implants isn't about to go away any time soon.

>

> Two new studies say that, although there's no link to breast cancer, the

> implants may be connected to lung or brain cancer, leading those opposed

> to surgical enhancement to say this is a warning signal to women

> everywhere.

>

> Both studies were conducted under the leadership of Dr. Louise Brinton,

> head of the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) environmental epidemiology

> branch. The studies focused on the same group of almost 13,500 women who

> had undergone surgical breast enhancement at 18 plastic surgery centers.

> One study looked at where cancers formed; the other looked at causes of

> death.

>

> Comparisons were made between three groups of women: those with implants;

> those who had had different kinds of plastic surgery; and the general

> public. The women in the studies had all received their implants before

> 1989 and were tracked for an average of 13 years.

>

> Women who had silicone implants, saline implants or implants that

> combined both materials were included in the study groups. Women who had

> implants after breast cancer surgery were not included in the studies.

>

> The studies, which appear in the May 2001 issues of both Epidemiology and

> ls of Epidemiology, found that women with silicone breast implants

> didn't have a higher risk of breast cancer, according to a statement

> issued by the National Cancer Institute.

>

> However, the NCI reports, Brinton's team found respiratory and brain

> cancers were greater in the implant group, compared to women who had had

> other kinds of plastic surgery. In addition, 11 cases of brain tumors

> among the implant patients were identified on death certificates. The

> reason the researchers used other plastic surgery patients for a control

> was because these women would all tend to come from the same social and

> economic backgrounds, making the comparisons more valid.

>

> NCI says, " It is possible that the higher risks observed for respiratory

> and brain cancers are not related to exposure to silicone, but are due to

> either chance findings or to factors common to women who choose to have

> implants. "

>

> But, Zuckerman, director of the National Center for Policy Research

> for Women and Families and a member of the outside scientific advisory

> committee for the studies, says " this is a wake up call, and the message

> is just how little we know. "

>

> And, she adds, " just because this is a one-of-a-kind study with outcomes

> that are unexpected -- that will cause some people to dismiss it, and

> that's a big mistake. "

>

> Patty Klein, the manager of epidemiology and FDA and regulatory affairs

> for Dow Corning, a former manufacturer of silicone breast implants, warns

> against scare-mongering and " does take exception to some of Brinton's

> interpretations. "

>

> Klein says that since Brinton points out the incidences of lung cancer may

> be related to smoking, rather than the implants, great care needs to be

> taken before concluding whether or not the implants and cancer are

> linked.

>

> " This is a polarized issue, " says Klein. " Unfortunately the ones lost in

> the middle are the women with implants. "

>

> Silicone breast implants were removed from the market in l992 by the U.S.

> Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

>

> What To Do

>

> Klein recommends any woman with doubts or questions about her implants

> should consult with her physician.

>

> For more breast implant information, go to the FDA.

>

> For a collection of articles and useful links, go to the National Library

> of Medicine's Medline.

>

>