Presentation and Detection of Breast Cancer in Seven Patients with Subglandular Augmentation Mammaplasty

Abstract

More than two million women in the United States have undergone augmentation mammaplasty. A woman's lifetime risk of developing breast cancer is nearing 1 in 9, which means that over 200,000 augmented women may go on to develop breast cancer. Several studies have implied that women who develop breast cancer following augmentation mammaplasty are less likely to present with occult disease. They present more often with a palpable mass and are more likely to have involved axillary nodes. This paper looks at seven patients who developed breast cancer in the presence of subglandular mammary implants. Mode of presentation, pathologic type, nodal status, relationship of the tumour to the breast capsule and surgical treatment will be discussed. Consideration should be given to recommending against augmentation mammaplasty in those women with a strong family history of breast cancer or other significant risk factors. Women who undergo breast augmentation should be informed that the detection of occult disease with mammography may be more difficult following augmentation. The prognostic significance of this has yet to be fully determined.