My perfect new D-cup boobs nearly killed me after doubling in size – they poisoned me with a killer disease
BUST HORROR My perfect new D-cup boobs nearly killed me after doubling in size – they poisoned me with a killer disease
A MUM was terrified her boob job would kill her - after one of her 'perfect' D-cup breasts suddenly doubled in size, revealing a rare disease linked to the implants.
Colette Cooper went under the knife in 2014 to boost her C-cup chest to a D-cup, having lost weight after hitting the gym.
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Colette Cooper, 51, claims her breast implants of 10 years nearly killed her
Credit: Kennedy News
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The mum woke up in March to find one of her breasts had doubled in size
Credit: Kennedy News
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Tests showed the mum - pictured here with her daughter Elizabeth Martin, 20 - had a rare type of lymphoma linked to texture implants
Credit: Kennedy News
The 51-year-old, who had textured implants made by US pharmaceutical company Allergan, was initially pleased with the result of her surgery.
But in March 2025, she woke up one morning and noticed her left breast had more than doubled in size.
The worried mum-of-two rushed to A&E, where tests found a large amount of fluid between the breast implant capsule - a layer of scar tissue that naturally forms after surgery - and the implant.
After having 240mls of fluid drained from her left breast, doctors tested the liquid for infection or cancer.
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In April, Colette was horrified to learn she had breast-implant associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) - a rare type of lymphoma that affects some people with textured breast implants.
It's a type of immune system cancer - not breast cancer - that occurs in the fluid and scar tissue around an implant.
In more advanced cases, it can spread to lymph nodes surrounding thee breast and other body parts, or into the chest wall underneath the breast.
BIA-ALCL generally grows slowly and can be treated with surgery to remove the breast implant and surrounding capsule. But in rare cases, it can be fatal.
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Rough textured implants used to be used to help breast implants stay in place.
But 2019, a report published by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) showed an association between BIA-ALCL and Allergan BIOCELL textured breast implants, prompting the manufacturer to issue a recall notice and withdraw them from worldwide sale.
The signs and symptoms of cancer
As of February this year, the FDA has received 1,380 reports of BIA-ALCL cases and 64 deaths, both from in and outside the US.
According to the 2019 report, approximately 85 per cent of BIA-ALCL cases have been in people who received BIOCELL textured implants from Allergan.
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On their website, Allergan says patients' with textured implants don't need to have them removed unless they have cancer symptoms.
Colette underwent an operation in June to have her implants removed and was subsequently told she's now cancer-free.
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Colette got her 'perfect' D-cup boobs done after losing weight from hitting the gym
Credit: Kennedy News
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She didn't know that Allergan implants had been recalled in 2019 due to links with cancer
Credit: Kennedy News
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The mum underwent surgery to have her implants removed
Credit: Kennedy News
She's now warning other women about the potential dangers of textured implants.
The recruitment worker, from Bishop Auckland, County Durham, recalled: "I started going to the gym a lot and noticed my bust had got smaller.
"I just thought 'I work hard on my body' so wanted to get them done.
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"The op went really well, they were absolutely perfect.
"In the middle of March, I woke up one morning and noticed my left breast was loads bigger than the other, it was more than double the size.
"I went straight to the doctors the next day."
While waiting for her referral, Colette went to The James Cook University Hospital's A&E in Middlesbrough where an ultrasound picked up a significant amount of fluid around Colette's implant.
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After having the fluid drained from her breast, tests revealed that Colette had a rare form of lymphoma linked to the Allergan breast implants she'd had fitted 11 years prior.
What is BIA-ALCL?
BIA-ALCL is rare cancer of the white blood cells - also known an lymphoma - that grows due to the body's reaction to a breast implant.
In the UK, the majority of BIAALCL is diagnosed early and cured by removal of the implants with surrounding scar tissue with no additional cancer treatment required.
However, a small number of people may need further treatment such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy or radiotherapy.
BIA-ALCL has mainly been reported in people with breast implants which have a rough silicone surface.
But the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) said any breast implant may have the potential to cause the cancer.
There are no screening tests for BIA-ALCL. People with breast implants, with no breast symptoms or signs, don't routine clinical checks or monitoring with mammograms, ultrasound or MRI.
If you have no breast symptoms or signs but are worried about BIA-ALCL, BAAPS advised you contact the surgeon who put your implants in, or the clinic or hospital where you had them inserted for advice.
Symptoms can appear as early as one year after you receive the implant or many years later.
On average, symptoms start eight years after surgery.
The symptoms of BIA-ALCL include: Enlargement or swelling of your breast
Hardening of your breast
Lumps in your breast or armpit
Pain in your breast or armpit
Redness or skin rash on or around your breast (rarely)
If you experience symptoms that concern you, remember that noncancerous issues are a much more likely cause.
These may include: Capsular contracture
Implant rupture
Infection
Recent trauma
Source: BAAPS, Cleveland Clinic
Colette said: "I was upset about my children, I was worried about work, I was devastated. I was frightened I was going to die.
"I didn't know how far it had gone. I went for an MRI and CT scan and the doctor said he could see something on my collarbone and the back side of the capsule.
"So they said they'd take a part of my pec muscle away in case it had spread.
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"He did tell me that this [cancer] is only in textured implants. These implants have now been banned and taken off the market.
"I didn't know anything about it until this."
Smooth breast implants aren't as commonly associated with BIA-ALCL, but research is still underway to confirm this.
Calls for compensation
After a successful operation to remove her implants last month, Colette was told she is now cancer-free but will need reconstructive surgery on her breasts in the future.
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Colette believes anyone with Allergan implants should be offered a free removal due to the proven risks, and compensation should be offered to patients who do develop cancer.
Colette said: "Even if you have these implants, if you've got no symptoms, you can't just ask to have them out.
"You have to pay for that but there's going to be more and more cases over the next few years.
"I've been lucky. I'm just so grateful to be all clear.
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"There's just not enough awareness about this. Unless you have visible swelling or pain, you'd have no idea.
"If my breast hadn't been inflamed that day, I could've easily carried on with life and they might not have caught it early enough.
"I do think Allergan should hold more responsibility for it and pay for women to have their breast implants out, whether they have symptoms or not.
"It's not as uncommon as they're making out. Everybody who has these implants should at least be offered some sort of scan.
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"I think they should pay out to people who get sick, there should be some kind of compensation.
"I've not been able to work and it's caused a huge amount of worry to me and my family."
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) says there is no need for people with breast implants but no signs or symptoms of BIA-ALCL, to have them removed or checked.
But anyone with unusual signs or symptoms, such as swelling around their breast implant, should see a doctor.
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Allergan said they didn't have anything additional to add beyond what they posted on their website.
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