Butt implants linked to fatal cancer for the first time, reveals study

February 28, 2019, 17:25 GMT

By Jane Weaver

A woman who has received gluteal implants has developed a deadly lymphoma, the same form of cancer that is linked to textured breast implants, say surgeons at the University of Southern California.

The Food and Drug Administration has investigated reports linking textured breast implants to blood cancer called anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL). In the United States, at least 457 women have been diagnosed with SLAL with breast implants, with more than 600 cases worldwide. Sixteen women died, nine of them in the United States.

In the new case, a middle-aged woman received bilateral gluteused textured silicone implants, USC surgeons said. A year later, she developed an ulcer on the implant site and was later diagnosed with an ALCL associated with a gluteal implant, according to the study published in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal on February 15.

"As far as we know, this is the first case of ALCL reported to be associated with textured gluteal implants," NBC News told Dr. Joseph Carey, an assistant professor of clinical surgery at Keck School of Medicine of the USC.

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, buttock implants are silicone-filled devices that are surgically placed to increase the shape and size of the buttocks. There are several options, including smooth implants, textured implants and even a fat transplant, Carey said.

According to the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, more than 36,000 gluteal implant procedures were performed worldwide in 2017, the most recent statistics available.

Anyone wearing gluteal implants should follow his or her doctor's instructions regarding the care and care of their implants, Carey suggested. "We are constantly vigilant about our practices and report our results, however rare they may be."

The FDA first alerted women about the risks of textured breast implants in 2011 and is expected to meet in March to review the safety of all breast implants.

NBC News associate producer Tonya Bauer contributed to this report.