Breast implants - PIP implants safety concerns

Women with PIP implants are not at higher risk of cancer or other long-term health conditions, says the Department of Health.

An independent expert panel, chaired by Sir Bruce Keogh, was appointed by the Department of Health to investigate the consequences of the PIP scandal.

They concluded in their final report of June 2012 that "PIP implants have not shown any evidence of significant risk to human health".

The review concluded that all breast implants are associated with a slight excess risk of a rare form of cancer called anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL), but there is no evidence of an additional risk for PIP implants compared with other breast implants.

The expert group, led by Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, collected and reviewed available data including estimated rupture rates, data on clinical findings when implants were removed, and further examination of the chemical make-up for PIP silicone gel.

The group studied information on 240,000 implants of different makes used throughout England, which had been given to 130,000 women, along with detailed findings from 5,600 removal operations.

Conclusions regarding PIP implant safety

The expert group concluded that:

• Exhaustive worldwide testing of the PIP gel material has not revealed anything that could cause a long-term threat to human health – it is not toxic and does not cause cancer.
• PIP implants do have a higher rupture rate – around two to six times higher than other breast implants.
• If the implant does rupture, it can cause inflammatory reactions around the implant area in some women, which can result in symptoms such as tenderness or swollen lymph glands. There is no evidence these reactions causes any significant health concern.

For more information, read the British expert review group's final report (PDF, 163kb).

Learn about the warning signs of a ruptured PIP breast implant.