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Sep 1, 2006 12:06 am US/Eastern
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Breast Implant Patients Urged To Get Mammograms
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
Gwen Cunliffe had breast implants. But she also worried about her family history
"My aunt had a history of breast cancer. In fact she had died from her breast cancer," she says.
So she was aggressive about getting regular mammograms. But they didn't detect her tumor.
"I found it myself."
Gwen is one of a growing number of women getting breast implants. In fact, 300-thousand of these operations were done last year alone. But many women worry implants will make it hard for mammograms to detect breast cancer.
"Implants may make it a little more challenging to image the breast accurately," says breast surgeon Dr. Kristen Brill.
A new study out of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia shows the diagnosis of breast cancer is often delayed in women with implants.
And in the past, these women would usually have been treated with a mastectomy.
Dr. Brill says, "There was probably some concern about proximity of the tumor to the implant capsule and could the implant be radiated successfully and still give a good cosmetic result."
But she says that's no longer the case. Mayo Clinic researchers looked at a small group of women implant patient who were treated with breast-sparing surgery and radiation. They found that none of the women had a relapse of their cancer. And 85-percent of the implanted breasts looked good cosmetically. Gwen did just as well.
"I had very minimal surgery," she says.
"We were able to successfully do a lumpectomy with radiation with a good cosmetic result," adds Dr. Brill.
And Gwen wants other women considering implants to know that they have options.
"I think it's great!"
Women with implants should do regular breast-self exams and have routine mammograms. But they should also talk to their doctor to see if they need other tests to screen for breast cancer.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)