breast implants

June 18, 2019

Coverage for Breast Explant Surgery Was Denied – Kantor & Kantor Stepped In and Got the Denial Overturned

It’s a common story shared by an increasing number of women. They received breast implants and after a period of time they started getting sick. While we do not know the exact number, we know that the largest Facebook Group has grown to nearly 83,400 members, with an increase of more than 5,200 in the last 30 days.

A client, whose name is being kept anonymous to protect her privacy, contacted Kantor & Kantor recently for help with an insurance denial. The woman was in failing health and had been experiencing severe medical complications dating back to 2012 after receiving breast implants. The woman referred to her condition as “breast implant illness.”

After consulting with her primary care physician, the woman underwent a bilateral breast MRI which revealed findings consistent with intracapsular rupture in the left breast. Shortly after, she was referred to a plastic surgeon who recommended bilateral breast capsulectomy and implant removal. The procedure, referred to as explant surgery, involves the removal of the implants and the surrounding capsules (or scar tissue).

May 15, 2019

What is Breast Implant Illness or BII?

by Cari M. Schwartz

Getting breast implants can change a person’s life for the better. But in recent years, women have suspected that their breast implants have made them very ill with diseases such as:

May 13, 2019

What is Breast Implant-Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma or BIA-ALCL?

by Kantor & Kantor LLP

First reported in 2011, Breast Implant-Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma, referred to as BIA-ALCL, is a rare and highly treatable type of lymphoma that can develop around breast implants. This is a cancer of the immune system, not a type of breast cancer. However, when caught early, BIA-ALCL is usually curable.

BIA-ALCL occurs most frequently in patients who have breast implants with textured surfaces. BIA-ALCL has been found with both silicone and saline implants and both breast cancer reconstruction and cosmetic patients. To date, there are no confirmed BIA-ALCL cases that involve only a smooth implant.

Common symptoms of BIA-ALCL include breast enlargement, pain, asymmetry, lump in the breast or armpit, overlying skin rash, hardening of the breast, or a large fluid collection typically developing at least more than one year after receiving an implant, and on average 8 to 10 years after receiving an implant.