A woman who received buttock implants developed a deadly lymphoma, the same form of cancer previously linked to textured breast implants, surgeons at the University of Southern California said.
The Food and Drug Administration has been investigating reports linking the textured breast implants to a blood cancer called anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL). At least 457 women in the U.S. have been diagnosed with breast implant-associated ALCL, with more than 600 cases worldwide. Sixteen women have died, nine in the U.S.
In the new case, a middle-aged woman received bilateral textured silicone gluteal implants, the USC surgeons reported. A year later she developed ulceration at the site of the implants and was later diagnosed with gluteal implant-associated ALCL, according to the study published in the in the Feb. 15 Aesthetic Surgery Journal.
"As far as we are aware, this is the first reported case of ALCL that may be associated with textured gluteal implants," Dr. Joseph Carey, assistant professor of clinical surgery, Keck School of Medicine of USC, told NBC News via email.
Buttock implants are silicone-filled devices that are surgically placed to augment the shape and size of the buttocks, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. There are multiple options, including smooth implants, textured implants and even fat grafting, Carey said.
More than 36,000 buttock implants procedures were performed worldwide in 2017, the most recent statistics available, according to the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.
Any person with gluteal implants should follow their doctor’s orders about maintenance and care of their implants, Carey suggested. "We are constantly vigilant about our practices and report our findings, no matter how rare."
The FDA first alerted women to the risks from the textured breast implants in 2011 and is scheduled to meet in March to review safety of all breast implants.
NBC News associate producer Tonya Bauer contributed to this report.
