Questions and Answers about Breast Implant-Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (BIA-ALCL)
The FDA's Q&A on BIA-ALCL — a lymphoma of the immune system (not breast cancer) that can develop in the scar tissue and fluid around an implant, with higher risk for textured implants.
View original source ↗What this source says
The FDA explains that BIA-ALCL is not breast cancer but a type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, that risk is higher with textured-surface implants, that it is usually treated successfully by removing the implant and surrounding scar tissue (sometimes with chemotherapy or radiation), and that it does not recommend removing implants in people who have no symptoms.
Why it matters
It distinguishes a specific, treatable implant-associated cancer from vaguer worries — and explains why removal isn't routinely advised for people without symptoms.
Key findings
- “BIA-ALCL is not breast cancer” — it is a type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
- Risk is higher with textured-surface implants than smooth.
- It is usually treated successfully by removing the implant and surrounding scar tissue.
- The FDA does not recommend routine removal of implants in people without symptoms.
Limitations
This Q&A is dated 2019; check the FDA site for the latest case counts and guidance.
What this does not prove
It does not apply the same risk level to smooth implants, and it is separate from the systemic-symptom (BII) question.
Source / citation
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) · Current as of October 23, 2019
Last reviewed against the original source: 2026-09-02. Summaries are written in plain language; the original source is authoritative.
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