Silicone Breast Implants and Breast Cancer Detection

Most studies using standard mammography have shown no difference in the average time to detect breast cancer between women with and without breast implants, nor have they shown a difference in the stage of disease detected. However, because implants may interfere with standard mammography by obscuring some underlying tissue and/or by compressing overlying tissue, you should inform your radiologist about your implants and request diagnostic mammography.

Specifically, your radiologist should be experienced with current mammographic displacement techniques (such as the Eklund technique) for imaging the breast tissue around the implants and should provide you with multiple mammographic views. Diagnostic mammography may facilitate early diagnosis of small masses that may be difficult to see with standard mammography.