(WASHINGTON) — U.S. health officials say doctors should be on the lookout for a rare cancer linked to breast implants after receiving more reports of the disease.
The Food and Drug Administration sent a letter late Wednesday to family doctors, nurses and other health professionals warning about the form of lymphoma in breast implant patients. In suspected cases, the FDA recommends laboratory testing to confirm or rule out of the disease. It’s the first time regulators have issued such a warning to doctors other than plastic surgeons.
The disease is not breast cancer, but usually forms in the scar tissue that forms around implants.
Regulators said they have identified 450 likely cases of the cancer since 2010. That’s a tiny number considering 400,000 U.S. women receive implants annually.
