However, the study only included women who had implants placed for cosmetic reasons and did not include any breast cancer survivors. According to the NCI, breast implants have also been linked to later breast cancer diagnoses. This may be due to the fact that the x-rays used for mammographic imaging of the breasts cannot penetrate silicone or saline implants well enough to image the overlying or underlying breast tissue. This makes cancer more difficult to detect at an earlier age. In order to visualize as much breast tissue as possible, women with implants typically undergo diagnostic mammography instead of screening mammography .
Diagnostic mammography requires additional mammography views.
In the NCI study, the researchers did find that breast cancer was detected at a later stage among some women with breast implants, compared to women without implants. However, the researchers say that the differences were not statistically significant and require further investigation. According to the NCI, it is estimated that between 1.5 million and 2 million American women have had breast implant surgery since implants first appeared on the market in 1962. Currently, only breast cancer patients who participate in closely monitored clinical trials may get silicone breast implants. There is much controversy surrounding silicone breast implants.