Answers
"I had saline implants in 1998. I just went for a yearly physical and my doctor discovered a lump in my breast. He sent me for an ultrasound and I was given a diagnosis of “some irregularity possibly due to implant.” This diagnosis seems very vague. Should I be concerned and can breast cancer be missed because they assume that it is an implant related issue?"
— Answered by
Daniel C. Mills, II, MD
Laguna Beach, CA
I had a patient that had this exact question of me this last week. She was very thin, so we could feel her saline implant valve that was on the front of the implant. There was some small scar tissue imbedded in the valve that showed up on the ultrasound. You could feel it, only because she was so thin. There is no question, that sometimes this scar forms at the valve. There could be other reasons for this diagnosis that should not be ignored. I would suggest that you go see your surgeon with the ultrasound in hand, and have him also do a physical exam. This also is important, as you may have your implants over, or under the muscle. If yours are totally under the muscle, they would not be in contact with your breast tissue but with your muscle. If this is the case, I don’t think that you have to worry as much about the implants hiding breast cancer. This needs to be correlated with a physical exam.
