Silicone breast implants do not increase risk of brain cancer, and there has been no increased cancer rate recorded among women with silicone breast implants, reports a study in the Annals of Plastic Surgery.

The study rules out any increase in brain cancer risk after breast implant surgery, said Joseph K. McLaughlin, Ph.D., and Loren Lipworth, Sc.D., of the International Epidemiology Institute, after studying nearly 10,500 women with breast implants, some followed up for as long as 29 years.

Just 12 of the women developed brain cancer. This compared with an expected 9.6 cases of brain cancer, based on population statistics.

A 2001 study suggested that women with silicone breast implants are at more than double the risk of death from brain cancer.

In 1992, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration placed a moratorium on the use of silicone implants for cosmetic breast enhancement, after some complained the implants leaked and made them chronically ill.

However, FDA has lifted the ban and approved widespread sales of silicone-gel breast implants. Breast implants were approved for cosmetic use in women ages 22 and older and for breast reconstruction in women of all ages.

"Our results add to the large body of scientific evidence finding no increased risk of brain cancer or other diseases in women with breast implants," the researcher said, adding that breast implants do not increase the risk of any type of cancer, including breast cancer.