Key officials responsible for the UK's response to the health scare surrounding faulty breast implants have met.
Health Secretary Andrew Lansley held discussions with the chief medical officer, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the NHS medical director.
About 40,000 British women have been fitted with the implants.
A review of the risk is due this week.
The implants by French firm Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) were banned in 2010 after they were found to contain industrial grade silicone gel, rather than medical grade.
Current UK government advice is that there is no need to have the implants removed as MHRA data suggests that the rupture rate is 1% - in line with other implants.
The chief medical officer for England, Prof Dame Sally Davies, said before Christmas: "We currently have no evidence to make us think they should have the PIP breast implants removed."
Channel differencesThis was in contrast to France, where the rupture rate was reported as 5%. There officials said the implants should be removed as a precaution and the government would cover the costs.
What are the risks?
- The silicone inside the implants is not medical grade - but was intended for use in mattresses
- Tests have not shown any increased risk of toxicity from this filler compared with normal implants
- But mechanical testing has shown the implant covers have an increased risk of rupturing
- The gel inside can be irritative, increasing the risk of inflammation reaction - making removal more difficult
- There is no increased breast cancer risk
- One case of a rare form of cancer called anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) was recently reported in France
- French and US experts suggest there is a small but increased risk of this cancer in women with breast implants in general
Mr Lansley ordered a review of the rupture rate after conflicting rupture rate data was submitted. It is being led by the NHS medical director Sir Bruce Keogh.
Prime Minister David Cameron's spokesman said: "We need to let Sir Bruce Keogh conduct the review before thinking about the next steps."
The full review group will meet tomorrow to discuss the preliminary findings. An announcement is expected by the end of the week.
Tim Goodacre, president of the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS), is part of the group.
He has told the BBC he believes that all the implants should be removed.
"These implants have been in for a while and there is no immediate cause for concern, there's no cancer risk, and even if implant gels have ruptured, there's no evidence to suggest that that in itself is of any major health detriment.
"But given the fact there is a degree of uncertainty and a lack of knowledge, we're recommending all implants come out."
Globally more than 300,000 implants are believed to have been sold to 65 countries by PIP over the last 12 years.
More than half of its exports went to South America.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/health-16395244
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