In the 1960s silicone gel breast implants came into use, allowing for breast reconstruction post-mastectomy or augmentation to be possible, but at that time, there was no clear standard for the implant placement. At first, surgeons placed the prosthesis in front of the chest (pectoralis major)  muscle, but the chance of postoperative complications was high.

In today’s post, we provide the questions that were sent in and asked during the live session of our Questions and Experts session held in May 2021. In this session, Dr. Mark Basik, MD, FRCPC, a Medical Oncologist, answered questions about breast cancer surgery. In the parentheses, you’ll find the timestamp of where to find the question in the on-demand video.

We’ve been hearing a lot of discussion in the news lately about textured implants and their link to a rare form of lymphoma; a cancer now known as breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL). Recently, Health Canada moved to suspend these implants from being used in Canada.