The Truth Regarding Breast Implant-Associated ALCL скачать в хорошем качестве

The Truth Regarding Breast Implant-Associated ALCL

The Truth Regarding Breast Implant-Associated ALCL. Dr. Brian Brzowski and Dr. Tracy Pfeifer discuss the risks of Breast Implant-Associated ALCL and why patients need to put them into perspective. The headlines were dire following the latest update from the FDA regarding Breast Implant-Associated ALCL: “Breast implants can cause cancer.” Easy enough for journalists to type, the headline guarantees lots of clicks but removes nuance from the equation – an important point for patients and would-be patients who are worried. In this Plastic Surgery Channel Uncut, board certified plastic surgeons discuss the FDA’s update, what BIA-ALCL actually is, and why patients and the public at large need to put it into perspective. WHAT IS BREAST IMPLANT-ASSOCIATED ALCL? The condition is often considered a lymphoma, a type of blood cancer caused by lymphocytes. There is a small trend of cases in breast implant patients, enough to cause concern by the FDA. Still, is it actually a lymphoma? The results are still undefined. “What most likely we’re going to discover is that it’s not actually a lymphoma, but it’s very akin to a skin-type of lymphoma that we have lots and lots of data about, ” explains board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Brian Brzowski. “What they have noticed is that in certain patients who’ve developed fluid accumulations around their implants, there are these abnormal lymphocytes. In certain cases – and it’s been in very, very rare numbers across the world with many millions of women who have breast implants – there actually have been a very isolated number of deaths.” The distinction between lymphoma and something else is important, as the strategies to combat the illness vary dramatically. Board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Tracy Pfeifer describes the differences in treating BIA-ALCL vs. a typical lymphoma, and why the differences matter. “When patients come into my office, I like to tell them about the pros and cons of breast implants, and we need to have a discussion about ALCL,” shares Dr. Pfeifer. “But, it’s a little misleading in the sense that the FDA called it a lymphoma whereas most of us, I think, believe it’s probably what we call a lymphoproliferative disorder as opposed to a lymphoma. Because if you have lymphoma, to treat it, you have to have chemotherapy. With a lymphoproliferative situation, we need to remove the implant and take out the capsule and you don’t need chemotherapy.” The treatment for BIA-ALCL is extremely successful when the condition is caught early. And as Dr. Pfeifer pointed out, standard cancer treatments like chemotherapy are not required to resolve the issue. PUTTING THE RISK OF BIA-ALCL INTO PERSPECTIVE Regardless of what Breast Implant-Associated ALCL actually is and how it occurs, it’s extremely important for patients to put the risks into perspective. Out of the millions of breast augmentation patients, only a relative handful result in BIA-ALCL. In fact, board certified plastic surgeon Dr. William P. Adams Jr. coauthored a study to define the risk of dying from a breast implant, a useful metric when comparing it to the score other normal life activities.