Breast Implant-Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma in Australia: A Longitudinal Study of Implant and Other Related Risk Factors.

BACKGROUND: Breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) is an emerging cancer that has been linked to the use of textured devices. The recent increase in number and frequency of cases has led to worldwide regulatory action. OBJECTIVES: The authors aimed to longitudinally study BIA-ALCL in Australia since the index case was first reported in 2007. METHODS: Confirmed historical cases were collected and then prospectively analyzed from October 2015 to May 2019. Clinical and implant exposure data were determined and compared with company sales data for 4 devices to generate implant-specific risk. RESULTS: A total 104 cases of BIA-ALCL were diagnosed in Australia with exposure to 149 unique breast implants. The mean age of patients was 48.2 years (range, 22.4-78.5 years). They had an average time from implantation to diagnosis of 6.8 years. A total 51.7% of implants utilized in this cohort were Allergan Biocell devices. The indication for implant usage was for primary cosmetic augmentation in 70%, post-breast cancer reconstruction in 23%, and following weight loss/pregnancy in 7%. The majority of women presented with early (stage 1) disease (87.5%). The risk for developing BIA-ALCL ranged from 1 in 1947 sales (95% confidence interval = 1199-3406) for Silimed Polyurethane devices to 1 in 36,730 (95% confidence interval = 12,568-178,107) for Siltex imprinted textured devices. CONCLUSIONS: Implants with higher surface area/texture seem to be more associated with BIA-ALCL in Australia. Recent regulatory action to suspend, cancel, or recall some of these higher risk devices is supported by these findings.

Acute management of skin tears: a change in practice pilot study.

Skin tears are an increasingly common injury occurring in the elderly population and have significant associated morbidity secondary to poor wound healing, prolonged hospital stays and reduced mobility. There has been a shift in practice for the acute management of skin tears within our institution, which has resulted in improved outcomes and reduced morbidity for this common and debilitating injury. Review of past and current practices including cost analyses has led to the establishment of a management protocol for the hospital and wider area health service with the aim to reduce the burden of disease amongst our ever-expanding elderly population.

Breast Implant-Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma in Australia and New Zealand: High-Surface-Area Textured Implants Are Associated with Increased Risk.

BACKGROUND: The association between breast implants and breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) has been confirmed. Implant-related risk has been difficult to estimate to date due to incomplete datasets. METHODS: All cases in Australia and New Zealand were identified and analyzed. Textured implants reported in this group were subjected to surface area analysis. Sales data from three leading breast implant manufacturers (i.e., Mentor, Allergan, and Silimed) dating back to 1999 were secured to estimate implant-specific risk. RESULTS: Fifty-five cases of breast implant-associated ALCL were diagnosed in Australia and New Zealand between 2007 and 2016. The mean age of patients was 47.1 years and the mean time of implant exposure was 7.46 years. There were four deaths in the series related to mass and/or metastatic presentation. All patients were exposed to textured implants. Surface area analysis confirmed that higher surface area was associated with 64 of the 75 implants used (85.3 percent). Biocell salt loss textured (Allergan, Inamed, and McGhan) implants accounted for 58.7 percent of the implants used in this series. Comparative analysis showed the risk of developing breast implant-associated ALCL to be 14.11 times higher with Biocell textured implants and 10.84 higher with polyurethane (Silimed) textured implants compared with Siltex textured implants. CONCLUSIONS: This study has calculated implant-specific risk of breast implant-associated ALCL. Higher-surface-area textured implants have been shown to significantly increase the risk of breast implant-associated ALCL in Australia and New Zealand. The authors present a unifying hypothesis to explain these observations.