Breast Implants Do not Raise the Risk of Cancer: The women who have underwent silicone implants feel more comfortable and assured as compared to other procedures. Silicone implants give a more natural look and feel to the breasts. But the hot discussion on breasts and cancer has created confusion among women. Researchers from Sweden have given a ray of hope to people who do't find any replacement to silicone implants.

Despite what you may have heard in the media, a decades-long Swedish study has determined that there is no link between breast implants and an increased risk for breast cancer. This is in contradiction to the long-term belief in United States that silicone from implants causes cancer and other autoimmune disorders such as lupus and arthritis.

Recently Sweden released the results of a study they conducted which followed 3,500 women for up to 37 years post-bust enhancement surgery. This is the longest study conducted till date and it showed that silicone implants did not cause an increase in cancer.

The US FDA and Silicone

The United States Food and Drug Administration banned silicone implants back in 1992 for use in cosmetic bust enhancement procedures after they were believed to cause cancer and autoimmune diseases. In fact, during the period many women sued the manufacturers of the devices and billions of dollars in claims were paid-out. At that time, saline became an alternative safer filling for the implants and replaced silicone.

In a surprising new move, the FDA is again looking at allowing silicone breast implants to be used here in United States based on the Swedish study's information. While some woman groups have been unhappy with the talks, many plastic surgeons are hopeful to see an alternative to the saline-filled ones currently on the market today. Because of the properties of the saline implants, they are not always the ideal option to use. With the re-approval of silicone implants, plastic surgeons will have more options to assist their patients in getting the look and feel they want from their breast augmentation surgeries.

Is the Swedish Study Flawed?

There are some in the industry who believe that the Swedish study is a flaw because it is financially backed by one of the most popular implant makers-Dow Corning. While Dow Corning denies this, there is still speculation. Additionally, there are others who believe the study is flawed because of the basic nature of the ideal breast augmentation surgical candidate; the best candidates being women who are thin and have had their children at a younger age. This means that those for a higher risk of cancer because of excess weight or lack of childbirth would have been less likely to have breast implants in the first place.

The final word on silicone breast implants is yet to be spoken. The FDA is expected to release their new ruling on them by the end of this calendar year. At that time there is likely to be a whole new round of arguments in the industry, both for and against the use of silicone. However, the only thing patients can do until then is to wait and see what happens.