New Estimates Reported in July 2022 Medical Journal Article Reveal BIA-ALCL is Diagnosed More Often as Time Goes On

 

(Posted by Tom Lamb at Drug Injury Watch)

 

A research letter published July 21, 2022 in JAMA Oncology, “Incidence of Anaplastic Large-Cell Lymphoma of the Breast in the US, 2000 to 2018” (subscription required), presented some new research about current population-based estimates of the incidence of breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) in the US, and the findings are rather alarming.

From this recent news report, “ALCL Increasing Rapidly in US Women as Breast Implants Rise“, about that recent medical journal article:

The team, led by Connor Kinslow, MD, Columbia University, New York City, looked at the age-adjusted annual incidence rate of ALCL and found that it increased over time.

The incidence was 3.2 per 100 million persons per year from 2000-2005, then increased to 4.4 per 100 million persons per year from 2006-2011, and then tripled to an incidence of 14.5 per 100 million persons per year from 2012-2018.

“Similar rates and trends were observed when including cases of T-cell lymphoma not otherwise specified,” the authors note, at a rate of 19.6 per million persons per year in [the period] 2012 to 2018.

These current incidence estimates are much higher than the previous estimate of 3 per 100 million persons per year quoted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which had been based on data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) data base from 2001-2007, the authors note.

“These trends are concerning, as the use of textured implants increased more than 5-fold from 2.3% to 13% of augmentation procedures between 2011 and 2015, despite a safety communication from the FDA in 2011,” they comment.

For some expert commentary on these new BIA-ALCL findings released in July 2022, we turn to this MedPage Today article, “Breast Implant-Related Lymphoma More Common Than Reported“, by medical reporter Charles Bankhead:

Though “certainly concerning,” the findings came from a study period that ended in 2018, the year before the FDA and regulatory agencies in other countries issued a recall of Allergan textured implants, the ones most closely associated with ALCL, noted Deanna J. Attai, MD, of the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center at UCLA in Los Angeles.

“As all national databases lag by several years, it is likely too soon to determine if the incidence of ALCL has decreased as a result of the recall,” Attai, who was not involved in the analysis, told MedPage Today via email. “However, as the FDA has not recommended removal of textured implants in the absence of symptoms, women with textured implants should be aware that prior estimates of the risk of ALCL are lower than what is currently being reported.”

Our law firm has been representing several women diagnosed with anaplastic large cell lymphoma that has been linked to their textured breast implants. As such, we are monitoring the BIA-ALCL situation and will present add significant developments going forward on the Breast Implants Lymphoma Cancer page on our law firm website, where we offer a free case evaluation if you or someone you know has been diagnosed with BIA-ALCL.


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