INJECTED LIQUID SILICONE, CHRONIC MASTITIS, AND UNDETECTED BREAST-CANCER

Although the use of injected liquid silicone for breast augmentation h as all but ceased since its widespread use in the 1960s, patients with injected silicone are still seen with a multitude of symptoms. Silico ne mastitis is a well-documented phenomenon; however, there has been a paucity of information regarding cancer detection in this group of pa tients. We report 2 patients who presented with chronic mastitis but o n further workup were found to have breast cancer. In bath patients, e arly cancer detection was adversely affected by the presence of free l iquid silicone. In view of this and other similar case reports, we adv ise that simple mastectomy be recommended to those patients with breas ts inspissated with liquid silicone who not only have suspicious masse s but present with recurrent mastitis or a family history of breast ca ncer.