健康英语新闻:France urges breast implant removal over cancer risks

PARIS, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- French health authorities on Friday urged 30,000 women to remove the local-made breast implant, pledging that relevant expenses would be covered by the state.

The health ministry said in a statement that they spot "no increased risk of cancer currently in women wearing the PIP (Poly Implant Prothese) brand compared with other implants."

"However, well-established risks associated with these prostheses are rupture and irritant gel may lead to inflammatory reactions, making it difficult to explant," the statement added.

French Health Minister Xavier Bertrand advised French women who have the PIP implants to get them taken out "as a preventive measure but not of an urgent nature." The removal of the implant will be at the state's expense.

The recommendation came after eight cases, mainly breast cancer, were reported recently among women with PIP implants.

The involved implant was produced by the French company PIP, once the world's third-largest producer of silicone implants who sold its products to tens of thousands of women in more than 65 countries, mainly in South America and western Europe.