Jean-Claude Mas founder and CEO of PIP (Image: Getty)
Labour MPs and top doctors are demanding a fresh investigation into the scandal of faulty PIP breast implants, which have been linked to chronic illness and cancer.The Women’s and Equalities Committee is being urged to launch an inquiry, with concerns set to be raised at a high-level parliamentary meeting later this month. MPs, medics, and women affected by the implants will discuss the growing fears over their potential health risks.Labour MP Fleur Anderson, leading the charge, warned: “This is really urgent. Women may be developing cancers or other serious health conditions linked to these implants, and they need to be informed now. The evidence of harm—including links to cancer, joint issues, and neurological problems—has been ignored for too long. We need answers.”Ms Anderson, MP for Putney, is calling for a full investigation into the PIP scandal, a commitment to tracking down affected women, and offering them medical care, including implant removal if necessary.She added: “We must determine how many women are affected and thoroughly investigate the connection between PIP implants and cancer, as well as the high rupture rates and other serious risks. The government must immediately commit to contacting all women exposed to these implants, informing them of the risks, and offering follow-up care and surgery.”
PIP implants linked to health problems and cancer (Image: Getty)
Professor Carl Heneghan, director of the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine at Oxford University, who has researched the safety of breast implants, echoed her concerns. He said women who have implants have a risk of developing a rare type of cancer known as BIA-ALCL that can develop in the scar tissue around the implant. He said: “I am worried about the link between these and other similar implants and breast cancer. The government should be tracking which women have had these implants and what has happened to them. How many have failed? How many women have developed cancer?”
Up to 47,000 British women received faulty PIP breast implants, manufactured by now-defunct French company Poly Implant Prothèse (PIP). The firm, founded in 1991, produced implants containing industrial-grade rather than medical-grade silicone. In 2010, the company was liquidated after the scandal came to light. Its founder, Jean-Claude Mas, was convicted of aggravated fraud and sentenced to four years in prison.In December 2011, the French government recommended that 30,000 women in France undergo implant removal. However, the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) insisted at the time that there was “no cause for concern.”
Implants are used in reconstructive cancer surgery (Image: Getty)
A report published in June 2012 revealed that PIP implants had double the rupture rate of other brands. Despite this, the Department of Health maintains that there is no conclusive evidence to suggest ruptured PIP implants pose a long-term health threat.
But campaigners argue vital data is missing. Many women believe their lives have been irreparably damaged due to a lack of proper oversight and medical tracking.
One such woman is Jan Spivey, 63, from South London. After reconstructive surgery following breast cancer, she received two PIP implants in 2002. Soon after, she began suffering from rashes, swelling, headaches, and hormone problems. Over the next decade, she sought answers from specialists and neurologists, with no clear explanation.
Then, in December 2011, during an appointment at the Royal Marsden Hospital, a breast cancer consultant suggested her symptoms were linked to her implants.
Ms Spivey said: “It is incredible that the government has not collected crucial safety data on PIP implants, given that 47,000 UK women are believed to be affected. France recalled these implants in 2010 based on medical evidence—why hasn’t the UK taken the same decisive action?”
In a letter to Fleur Anderson from Baroness Merron, the Secretary of State for Patient Safety wrote: “The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency continues to monitor the safety of all breast implants, including PIP implants…If further risks are identified, the MHRA will take appropriate action to ensure these are communicated to patients so they can make iinformed decisions regarding their healthcare.”
She added: “As with any medical device, breast implants do not come without risks. The current advice from the MHRA remains that anyone with a PIP breast implant should consult their doctorabout the possibilty of removal. The NHS and the MHRA provide guidance for patients ont he avialble options for removal.”
An NHS spokesperson said: “The breast and cosmetic implant registry already records the details of any individual who has breast implant surgery, so that they can be traced in the event of a safety issue relating to a specific type of implant.
“The registry also collects data on the outcomes of any patients affected, which we are working towards publishing.”