National breast implant registry much needed but long overdue, patients and doctors say

Patients and doctors are applauding the news that Canada might eventually have a national registry for breast implants, describing it as a big step for public safety, but say it should have happened long ago.

During a meeting on Tuesday, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Health heard submissions for a study examining the feasibility of creating a nationwide registry. The news follows years of advocacy by women who've been harmed and joint investigations from CBC, Radio-Canada and the Toronto Star into the potential dangers of the implants, which can include cancer and autoimmune disorders.

Julie Elliott, the Canadian representative for the Breast Implant Safety Alliance and spokesperson for the Breast Implant Failure and Illness Society of Canada, said a registry that includes data on all implants in this country is long overdue.

"To me, it's something that should have happened the moment breast implants started to be manufactured in 1964," she told CBC.

She argues that it's strange for foreign objects to be placed in the human body with no way for patients and their doctors to track any problems with those devices.

"If you have a car and … something happened with this car, there's a recall, you're going to automatically receive an email or card stating that you have to go to your dealership to deal with that problem," Elliott said.

The federal feasibility study will look at what information might be included in a national registry and how it might function once it's in place.

Health Canada spokesperson Mark Johnson said the federal agency will consider the committee's study and provide a formal response at that time.

"Any next steps with respect to a breast implant registry would heavily depend on its purpose, structure, and design," Johnson wrote in an email.

He described a breast implant registry as a "complex endeavour" that would require participation and coordination from multiple levels of government.

Some advocates argue that a national registry with details of every implant performed in Canada is necessary to make sure researchers and patients can track illnesses, injuries and other information.

Nancy Pratt says there have been calls for something like this dating back to the 1990s.

Pratt, the B.C.-based president of the Breast Implant Failure and Illness Society, suffered permanent harm after the breast implants she received in the 1990s ruptured. She later learned that her implants had been recalled, but no one had informed her.

"Everybody is making money off breast implants and nobody has been willing to take responsibility for tracking them," Pratt said.