Georgia Injury Lawyer Blog
A recently filed lawsuit claims breast implants manufactured by Mentor Worldwide, a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary, caused an Ohio woman to develop a rare form of cancer known as anaplastic large cell lymphoma, or ALCL. Johnson and Johnson purchased Mentor in 2009 for more than $1.1 billion.
According to the complaint, Renee Cashen, 45, of Ashville, Ohio, had breast implant surgery in February 2008. About eight years later, she noticed a lump under her right armpit and a biopsy determined she had anaplastic large cell lymphoma. She had surgery to remove the MemoryGel® SILTEX® implants, made by Mentor, as well as infected lymph nodes. She subsequently underwent chemotherapy for a condition that has become known as Breast Implant-Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma, or BIA-ALCL.
Ms. Cashen is one of many women across the country who has experienced health problems related to implants. In March of 2018, the FDA issued a warning to individuals with breast implants alerting them to the potential link to BIA-ALCL. As of September 30, 2017, the FDA had received a total of 414 medical device reports (MDRs) of BIA-ALCL, including the death of nine patients.
In a January, 2017 study published in the Journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, researchers found that the incidence of ALCL in breasts with textured implants is 67.6 times higher than the incidence in those patients without breast implants. A study completed by World Health Organization in 2016 reported that the cancer usually takes about ten years to develop after the implant is first inserted, and the cancer usually stays right around the implant, though the cancer can spread to other areas of the body as well. Many of these cases were diagnosed when women complained of symptoms such as lumps, pain, swelling, and fluid build-up around the implant.
If you or a loved one believe you have suffered injuries as a result of a breast implant, contact the experienced defective product attorneys at Suthers & Harper on our toll-free number, 1-800-320-2384, or complete and submit the contact form on this website, for a free consultation.