[Thirty-six (36) French cases of Breast Implant-Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (BIA-ALCL): What do we know about their prosthetic histories, and what conclusions may be drawn?]

INTRODUCTION: Breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma is a recent pathology; the one known risk factor is breast implantation.
METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted on the French BIA-ALCL cases diagnosed by the Lymphopath network and reported to the National Medical Safety Agency (ANSM). Wishing to obtain supplementary data on the prosthetic history of implants, we sent the referent surgeons a questionnaire.
RESULTS: By combining the relevant ANSM data and questionnaire data, we studied the histories of 32 unilateral cases of BIA-ALCL and 2 bilateral cases of BIA-ALCL. Mean patient age on diagnosis was 59 (29; 83). Twelve BIA-ALCL cases occurred after breast augmentation for esthetic purposes, 22 following mastectomy for neoplasia and 2 after symmetrization of the contralateral breast in reconstruction. Fifteen BIA-ALCL cases were diagnosed on single prostheses, all of them macrotextured with macrotexturing obtained by projection of biocell salt crystals, also known as the biocell "salt loss" technique. The other 21 BIA-ALCL cases were diagnosed on multiple prostheses (2 to 5), and all of them had had at least one contact with a biocell implant. Mean duration of exposure to implants was 11 years (4; 31). Mean duration of exposure to the macrotextured shell surfaces obtained by the salt loss technique was 9 years (2; 23). Six patients were exposed to a temporary macrotextured Expander implant obtained with the aforementioned salt loss technique. No patient was exposed to the macrotextured Expander implant alone.
CONCLUSION: Salt loss macrotextured implants, particularly those of the biocell-type, were found in the prosthetic history of all 36 BIA-ALCL cases in this series.