October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a time to take a moment to refresh yourself on the importance of breast cancer screening and learn more about treatment options.

Many of the women I see considering breast augmentation in New Jersey have questions about the effect of breast implants on breast cancer rates. The research on the breast implant options currently available is clear: saline and silicone gel implants have not been shown to cause breast cancer. For many women who have received breast implants from New Jersey surgeons, though, an important breast cancer consideration remains – the effectiveness of breast cancer detection techniques following breast augmentation.

Do Breast Implants Inhibit Mammogram Function?

The short answer to this question is “yes.” The more complicated truth is that while breast implants slightly limit mammogram results, a woman with implants has the same chance as the average woman of developing or detecting cancer, and of catching it early.

A number of studies in the past few years have looked at the incidence and detection of breast cancer in women with implants. Their results show that breast implants do slightly limit the visibility and effectiveness of mammograms, mainly because the implant can get in the way of a normal-angle mammogram, and the implant-appropriate Eklund mammograms may miss a bit of tissue in the process of pushing the implant toward the chest wall.

However, these same studies showed that implants do not seem to affect breast cancer detection overall. According to these studies, breast implants do not change a woman’s:

• Rate of breast cancer detection
• Stage at which breast cancer is detected
• Tumor size and recurrence rate
• Likelihood of survival

As a result, researchers currently recommend the same cancer screening processes for women with implants as for those without.

Why Implants Don’t Affect Cancer Incidence or Detection

Simply put, breast cancer detection involves several other factors beyond mammogram visibility. Some studies have found that women with implants were better equipped to detect cancer through self-examination, possibly because the implant surface makes any lumps easier to feel, or because women with implants are better educated about the importance of self-examinations.

A few studies suggest that women with implants may even experience less severe forms of breast cancer than women without them, for reasons that are still unclear.

How Women with Breast Implants Can Prevent Breast Cancer

If you are researching breast implants in New Jersey, don’t let worries about breast cancer prevent you from exploring your options. Instead, let them motivate you to take a proactive, educated approach. Consider:

Your breast cancer risk. The National Cancer Institute’s online Breast Cancer Assessment Tool is a good place to start.

Your implant position. Neither saline nor silicone implants has an advantage in mammogram visibility, but either implant placed under the muscle allows for slightly more effective mammograms.

Your health and habits. Women have a better chance of decreasing their risk level when they maintain healthy habits that include exercise a few times a week and a diet rich in nuts, fruits, and dark green vegetables.

Your breast exam effectiveness. Do you perform your self-exams frequently enough that you are aware of normal changes in breast density, and would you recognize a new lump? It’s a good idea to go through the process again with your doctor at your next physical.

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