FDA reports possible link between breast implants, rare cancer

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The safety of silicone breast implants has long been a subject of controversy, but a review by the Food and Drug Administration indicated another possible health risk.

The FDA said Thursday that it had found a possible association between saline and silicone gel-filled breast implants and a rare cancer called anaplastic large-cell lymphoma, and that patients with implants may have a “very small but significant” risk of ALCL in the scar capsule adjacent to the implant.

The agency is requesting reports of any confirmed cases of ALCL in women with breast implants and said it was working with manufacturers to update product labeling.