Thinking About Breast Implants? We've Got One Powerful Reason to Skip Them Lorie A. Parch - TakePart
go to original May 18, 2013

Breast cancer has a cure rate of nearly 93 percent when it’s diagnosed at its earliest stage. But when it’s caught later the outlook is not nearly so bright: At its latest stage, the survival rate from breast cancer is just 15 percent. Implants may make it harder to see a tumor, says new research. (Getty Images/webphotographeer)

If you’ve ever thought of getting breast implants, maybe you’ve weighed the pluses and minuses. In the “pros” category: look better in clothes; get a self-esteem boost. The cons: the cost (high), the risk of complications (fairly high), the chances you’ll get stuck with a leaky implant (low). Or maybe you’ve already had a breast augmentation; about 29 percent of American women who opted for the surgery in 2012 were between 20 and 29, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

Perhaps one thing you didn’t consider, especially if you’re young and not at an increased risk of breast cancer, is whether the implants might make it difficult to see a tumor during a mammogram. (Most women don’t start getting annual mammograms until around age 40.) Breast cancer has a cure rate of nearly 93 percent when it’s diagnosed at its earliest stage, according to the American Cancer Society. But when it’s caught later, like any other type of cancer, the outlook is not nearly so bright (at its latest stage, the survival rate from breast cancer is just 15 percent). So being able to find a tumor that might be cancerous early is essential.

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