THURSDAY, March 26, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- For women with breast cancer treated with mastectomy, use of non-polyurethane-coated (PUc) implants is associated with an increased rate of surgical revision due to capsular contracture (CC) in the setting of postmastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT) and with a higher likelihood of complications, according to a study presented at the annual European Breast Cancer Conference, held from March 25 to 27 in Barcelona, Spain.
Kerstin Wimmer, M.D., from the Medical University of Vienna, and colleagues examined the association between use of PUc versus non-PUc implants and the need for surgical revision due to CC in the setting of PMRT. The study included 1,455 women treated between 2016 and 2024: 980 underwent non-PUc implant-based breast reconstruction (IBBR) and 475 underwent PUc IBBR.
The researchers found that use of non-PUc implants was associated with an increased rate of surgical revision due to CC compared with PUc IBBR (25.7 versus 9.3 percent). In addition, the rate of any CC was also significantly higher in the non-PUc group versus the PUc group (47.5 versus 32.8 percent). The non-PUc group also had a higher likelihood of major infection, implant loss, reoperation, and implant exposure (odds ratios, 3.9, 11.0, 3.3, and 7.9, respectively).
"For patients, this research suggests that the type of implant used may have a major impact on the risk of complications after radiotherapy," Wimmer said in a statement. "For clinicians, it provides important evidence to help guide reconstructive planning for patients who are likely to need radiotherapy."
One author disclosed ties to Bondimed and Polytech.