‘Big Brother’ Star Tilly Whitfeld, 23, Decided To Remove Her Breast Implants Fearing It Could Lead to Cancer – What To Know about Implants and Cancer

Questions surrounding breast implants and cancer risk have lingered for years. Last year, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) drew attention to less than two dozen cases of skin and blood cancer possibly linked to implants. However, SurvivorNet experts Dr. Sarah Cate and Dr. Jordan Jacobs at Mount Sinai Health System in NY stress “just how small the incidence is” of these cancer-related cases compared to the total number of women receiving breast implants each year.

“It is not possible to conclude from this preliminary data that the cancers are definitively linked to breast implants,” Doctors Sarah Cate and Jordan Jacobs of Mount Sinai previously told SurvivorNet.

Whitfeld is a popular “Big Brother” reality TV show cast member. The show’s premise follows a group of people living together in a single home. She often shares many aspects of her life on social media, which garnered more than nine million likes alone on her TikTok channel.

She recently shared a message on an Instagram story saying, “Things I wish I knew before getting breast implants.”

Whitfeld’s social media post comes on the heels of a recent interview where she expressed her reasons for removing her breast implants.

“Your overall health declines massively,” Whitfeld told U.K.-based news outlet Daily Mail.

She lamented her implants caused her back pain and rashes.

“I got implants five weeks ago, and ever since, I have had this rash. I’ve gone to the dermatologist and hospital and done two different steroids. It just clears and then comes straight back,” Whitfeld said.

She added she feared her implants’ negative impacts on her health could lead to cancer. However, little evidence supports her notion.

“I was so scared. You see, fillers are causing cancer, implants are causing, and honestly, it’s not worth it,” Whitfield said as a reason for deciding to remove her implants.

Can Breast Implants Contribute to Cancer

Last year, the FDA released safety communication regarding the potential risks of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and lymphoma, a type of cancer that starts in the lymphatic system.

SCC is among the most common types of skin cancer. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, squamous cells are “thin, flat cells that form the top layer of the epidermis.” According to the American Academy of Dermatology Association, this type of skin cancer isn’t life-threatening and grows slowly.

WATCH: Are Breast Implants Dangerous?

The FDA’s safety communication indicated it received ten medical device reports about squamous cell carcinoma. A medical device reporting is a method the FDA uses to collect and analyze data about a marketed device scientifically. The federal agency says it also received 12 reports about varying types of lymphomas related to breast implants.

“The report states that the FDA is aware of 19 cases of SCC in the capsule around the breast implant from published literature,” noting the information includes the FDA’s review of medical literature and reports.

“There have been reports in the literature of deaths from progression of the disease. While the FDA continues to believe that occurrences of SCC in the capsule around the breast implant may be rare, the cause, incidence, and risk factors remain unknown.”

The warning follows previous reports of SCC and various lymphomas (cancer of the immune system) related to breast implants. The various lymphomas noted differ from those previously described by the FDA as Breast Implant-Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (BIA-ALCL).

The FDA pinpointed textured implant manufacturer Allergan to remove some of its textured breast implants and tissue expanders from the market amid its report.

“Based on the currently available information, including data submitted in 2019, our analysis demonstrates that the risk of BIA-ALCL with Allergan BIOCELL textured implants is approximately six times the risk of BIA-ALCL with textured implants from other manufacturers marketing in the U.S.,” an FDA spokesperson wrote to SurvivorNet in an email.

You can find a complete list of recalled styles here.

What Doctors Say About Implant and Cancer Risk?

“There is little detail regarding the severity of the cancers and the types of implants to which they are linked,” Dr. Cate and Dr. Jacobs said.

“[However] the fact that the cancers were found in the implant capsules is certainly concerning and requires further investigation,” Dr. Cate and Dr. Jacobs continued.

Mount Sinai’s Dr. Sarah Cate is the lead physician for the Special Surveillance Breast Program at Mount Sinai Beth Israel, and Dr. Jordan Jacobs is a plastic and reconstructive surgeon.

“There are approximately 400,000 women who have implants placed per year for either reconstructive or cosmetic purposes,” Dr. Cate and Dr. Jacobs told SurvivorNet. “If you consider a 10-year follow-up period, the incidence of these cancers is approximately 0.00075%. In other words, 1 in every 133,000 women.”

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

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