Leading surgeon claims breast implant cancer risk ’10 times higher’ than previously feared as one survivor shares her harrowing experience
Charlotte Fouracres, 30, thought she wouldn't live to see her children grow up when she was diagnosed with an inoperable tumour
A LEADING surgeon has delivered a shocking warning to women with breast implants, claiming their risk of developing a certain type of blood cancer is "10 times higher" than they realise.
A newly emerging disease called breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma, or BIA-ALCL, is rare but widely underestimated according to American plastic surgeon Professor Mark Clemens.
He has been tracking cases since they were first reported in 2011 and is concerned the commonality of the disease is 10 times higher than women are often told.
So far BIA-ALCL has been identified in 173 patients worldwide - at least 11 of which are British.
Though one NHS breast surgeon who has treated three women with the condition in the past year claims these numbers "could be just the tip of the iceberg".
The disease is triggered by the most common type of implant used in breast augmentation in the UK, though many women who may be at risk are completely unaware - including survivor Charlotte Fouracres.
The 30-year-old teacher from Colchester went under the knife in April 2012 to take her breasts from a B cup to a D.
But last July she found a lump the "size of a 5p" at the top of her right breast and went to get it checked out.
The mum-of-four was then referred to a breast-screening centre where an ultrasound scan and needle biopsy confirmed she had ALCL.
Charlotte began having chemotherapy straight away, but the treatment failed to stop the cancer from taking hold.
Four months later her tumour had spread to her chest wall and doctors declared it inoperable.
She said: "My right breast was swollen, felt burning hot and I had developed a red, itchy rash. I became unable to raise my right arm to brush my hair or teeth and could no longer cook or drive.
"I felt absolutely lost with no control over my body.
"I had to contemplate the unthinkable – that I might not see my children grow up."
Charlotte was then referred to consultant breast surgeon Fiona MacNeill at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust cancer centre in London.
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Ms MacNeill told how many doctors don't recognise the disease when they see it as it's a new cancer.
She explained: "To diagnose BIA-ALCL as distinct from ALCL, specific tests have to be carried out.
"Although Charlotte was put on the correct treatment for regular ALCL, it is possible the BIA-ALCL does not respond well to the type of chemotherapy used to treat the more common form."
Charlotte was given seven cycles of a £10,000 biological therapy drug called brentuximab which works by mimicking immune-system antibodies that attack and destroy tumour cells.
Ms Macneill said the new drug was "amazing" as the disease "melted away" before their eyes.
In April Charlotte had surgery to remove her implants and was given the all clear, though she will be monitored for five years to check the cancer hasn't returned.
Charlotte admitted: "After having two children my body changed. I suppose I had the boob job to boost my self-esteem.
"Now, looking back, maybe having smaller breasts wasn’t such a bad thing after all."
In the majority of cases of BIA-ALCL, women are treated successfully with surgery alone, though they may also need courses of chemo and radiotherapy.
An investigation by French health watchdogs confirmed a "clearly established link" between implants and the development of BIA-ALCL earlier this month.
The implants implicated are those with a textured surface - used in 99 per cent of augmentations in Britain - and the Agence Nationale de Sécurité du Médicament et des Produits de Santé (ANSM) are now pushing for more research into what triggers the cancer.
Women having breast augmentations have been warned about BIA-ALCL since 2011 when US health chiefs the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the World Health Organisation issued alerts to doctors and urged them to report cases.
Though Charlotte said it was never mentioned to her.
While it's usually treatable and the risk is low, Professor Clemens believes it's more prevalent than many realise.
He said: "A figure of one in 500,000 has been quoted, but this is a huge underestimate. It does not take into account that it takes on average ten years after an implant for symptoms to occur.
"Given this, the actual number is one in 50,000. Many women may have been told the risk is smaller than it is.
"The UK uses the same number of implants every year as in France, but only 17 cases are known in the UK, compared to 29 in France, where they are very alert to the dangers of BIA-ALCL.
"All surgery carries risk. But patients must be properly informed about what those risks are if they are to make a decision on whether to go ahead with it."
Senior lecturer at Cambridge University’s department of pathology Dr Suzanne Turner, who published a major study on BIA-ALCL in 2014, agrees the risk factor has been understated.
She warned: "I think we will see more cases as more women are reporting them."
Ms MacNeill added: "Because of the length of time it take for the disease to show, and because many doctors are not aware of it, women may have gone undiagnosed.
"It is rare, but there is the worry that the numbers we have seen so far are just the tip of the iceberg.
"Whatever the case, low risk does not equal no risk, and patients must be advised as such."