Breast Implant Illnesses: What’s the Evidence? – A large meta-analysis of the current cornerstone breast implant illnesses research studies reveals their weaknesses and highlights what is known.
Summary of Published Study by MD Anderson Physicians on the Increase in Rare Diseases Among Women with Breast Implants – We summarize the study conducted by MD Anderson Cancer Center regarding the incidence of rare diseases among women with breast implants.
Can the FDA Help Reduce Drug Prices or the Cost of Medical Care? – American Journal of Public Health, November 2017. In a guest editorial by CPTF president Dr. Diana Zuckerman, she questions whether the FDA’s plan to get generic drugs on the market more quickly is enough to make prescription drugs – and health insurance—affordable.
Software-Related Recalls of Health Information Technology and Other Medical Devices: Implications for FDA Regulation of Digital Health – Milbank Quarterly, September 12, 2017. The innovation of medical IT has the potential to save lives, but even a small “glitch” can harm patients. Our study found hundreds of recalls of flawed devices that affected millions of patients. Examples include electronic medical records that provide info about the wrong patient and “physician support” devices that miscalculate the dosage of medication. But the FDA is set to deregulate these devices.
2016 study explains why so many cancer drugs don’t work – Why do so many cancer patients take medications that drain their energy and joy of living but don’t benefit them? The answer: since 2008, FDA has not required new cancer drugs to prove they help patients live longer. After the drugs were approved, 18 were found to not extend patients’ lives at all, and only one of the drugs is proven to improve patients’ quality of life. But these ineffective cancer drugs cost just as much.
Lack of African Americans in Breast Cancer Studies Results in Less Effective Treatment and Higher Death Rate – The disparity in breast cancer mortality between Black and White women has widened in our country’s most populated states. Cancer experts usually conclude that although there have been advances in breast cancer screening, prevention and treatment, these advances have not been equally available to Black and White patients.
Summary of: Breast Implants, Self-Esteem, Quality of Life, and the Risk of Suicide – Women’s Health Issues, August, 2016. Breast augmentation is the most common cosmetic surgery in the United States, and many women are also encouraged to choose breast implants for reconstruction after a mastectomy. However, studies in the United States and Scandinavian countries have shown that suicide rates are higher for women with implants.
Breast Implants, Self-Esteem, Quality of Life, and the Risk of Suicide – Women’s Health Issues, April 2016. Numerous research reviews have concluded that suicide rates are higher for women with breast implants. In addition, there is evidence of an increased risk of suicide for women who undergo reconstruction with implants after mastectomy, compared to other mastectomy patients.
US Device Industry and FDA “Colluded” on Legislation to Weaken Regulatory Oversight – The BMJ, December 17. 2015. Dr. Diana Zuckerman from The National Center for Health Research shared, “There’s a world of difference between talking about approval standards in general and crafting specific legislative language. It is outrageous that FDA officials and regulated industry are sitting down to craft legislative language to give to congressional staff.”
What would impact of 21st Century Cures Act be on cancer and your healthcare costs? – A controversial proposed new health law would have had a terrible impact on the lives of Alzheimer’s patients, who would have been more likely to develop skin cancer and at the same time had no benefit to their memory.
Startling link between pregnant mother’s exposure to DDT and daughter’s risk of breast cancer – Washington Post, June 17, 2015. A new study published Tuesday in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism found a startling link between pregnant women exposed to DDT and the breast cancer risk to their daughters.
Public Health Implications of Differences in US and European Union Regulatory Policies for Breast Implants – The authors conclude that neither the European Union nor the US has used their regulatory authority to ensure the long-term safety of breast implants. However, in 2012 the EU announced regulatory changes that could improve that situation.
Cancer Researchers with Industry Ties Report “Rosier” Results – Cancer studies are more likely to have positive results when the researchers have ties to the company that makes the product being studied.
Decisions in the dark: The FDA, breast cancer survivors, and silicone implants – Breast Cancer Survivors Making Surgery Decisions With Limited Information
Reconstructive Breast Implantation After Mastectomy – Archives of Surgery, July 2006. The unanswered questions about diseases and the high complication rate for breast cancer patients raise important safety issues about breast implants. It is difficult for patients to receive informed consent when definitive long-term data are not yet available.
FDA Advisory Committees: Does Approval Mean Safety? – 2006 Report by the National Research Center for Women & Families