BEIJING, Jan. 27 — U.S. health officials said Wednesday they are investigating a possible association between breast implants and a rare form of cancer.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Wednesday asked doctors to report all cases of a cancer, known as anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL), so the agency can better understand the link between the disease and the silicone gel-filled breast implants.

The FDA said in a statement it had found “a very small but significant risk of ALCL in the scar capsule adjacent to the implant” after reviewing data worldwide.

The agency has learned of just 60 cases of the disease worldwide, among roughly 5 million to 10 million women with breast implants.

The FDA isn’t recommending that women with implants adjust their medical care.

Some researchers have published papers on the cancer cases in breast implants over the past three years, indicating bits of silicone can leak into cells around the implant, triggering the cancer.

The FDA pulled silicone breast implants off the market in 1992 amid worries about the connection to a variety of diseases.

But in 2006 the agency returned the implants to the market after most studies failed to find a link between silicone breast implants and diseases. 

On Xinhua Web site: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/health/2011-01/27/c_13709927.htm