Breast cancer and the role of breast size as a contributory factor

Several studies have been published on the incidence of breast cancer following augmentation mammaplasty, with very different conclusions. A lower incidence of breast cancer than expected was found in a study conducted by Deapen and Brody in women who had undergone augmentation surgery, and an anticarcinogenic effect of silicone implants has been suggested. Before accepting this conclusion it is important to study the relationship between breast size and the risk of developing breast cancer. It can be assumed that on average, women who have their breasts enlarged have smaller breasts, originally, than other women. Therefore, it seemed possible that breast size might be the predominant factor, and not the silicone implant. To test the hypothesis that women with breast cancer have statistically larger breasts than women who are not found to have breast cancer, a questionnaire was sent to each of 232 women who had undergone surgery for breast cancer; 146 of these questionnaires were returned. Body mass index (BMI) and breast size were compared against the corresponding values in a population-based control group. The results showed no statistical difference between the two groups in BMI or breast size. These findings seem to support the hypothesis that silicone breast implants have some kind of anticarcinogenic effect.