Woman with rare cancer linked to breast implants warns others to think twice about cosmetic surgery

'They said they're 100 per cent safe'

(Getty Images/iStockphoto)

A woman with a rare type of cancer that has been linked to breast implants is warning other woman to "think twice" before having cosmetic surgery.

While some go under the knife as part of reconstruction after breast cancer, others do it to feel more confident. But, most are likely unaware of a rare cancer that has been linked to the implants – anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL).

While the risk is low, so far there have been 359 reported cases globally, including nine deaths.

One patient, Kimra Rogers, from Idaho, US, learned that she had cancer last year after discovering a tumour under her arm.

“I could feel a mass that was the size of an egg, it was an egg to a lemon, it was very large,” Rogers told CBS News.

Later, she was shocked to discover that the cancer was possibly linked to the cosmetic breast implants she had received some 17 years ago.

“I was never informed that I could possibly get cancer. Basically they said they're 100 percent safe,” she added.

Despite having chemotherapy and radiation funded through her health insurer, removal of the implants has been refused after she was told that her appeal rights were “exhausted.”

Kimra Rogers discovered that she had cancer which is possibly linked to the cosmetic breast implants she had 17 years ago (CBS News)

Now, Rogers wants to warn other women about the associated risks of breast implant-associated anaplastic large-cell lymphoma.

“I want to get the word out to women, if you're thinking about getting implants, think twice,” she told KIVITV.

“Truly if they would have said, 'Hey, there's a possibility here you could get cancer,' I would have taken that into consideration.”

Currently, women are able to choose between smooth silicone implants and textured ones, which are slightly firmer and do not move around as much.

But, it is the textured breast implants that research has linked to ALCL. Even though just about 15 per cent of implants used in the US are textured, the FDA says most of the women who developed the lymphoma - 203 of 231 cases that identified the type of surface - received the textured implants.

“We see that it's most commonly occurring around a textured implant,” Dr. Mark Clemens told CBS News.

“So we know that something that's triggering the lymphoma is a chronic long-lasting inflammatory state you can almost think of it as akin to an allergic reaction in these patients.

“But it stimulates part of the immune system and in certain genetically susceptible patients, develops into a lymphoma.“

While experts insist that the cancer is rare, women are advised to head to their doctor is they notice any changes in the implants or breasts, such as swelling.