You might be on this website because you feel anxious about your mesh implants causing cancer. But mesh implant devices can only result in cancer if the mesh gets infected due to negligence. This guide will discuss whether mesh implants cause cancer or not.

What Patient Cases Say About Mesh Implants Causing Cancer

A few articles show the carcinogenic properties of mesh implants. For instance, an article researched two individuals with infected meshes.

Their inflamed meshes presumably caused their SCC. Then they were asked to undergo radical surgical excision. 

The surgeons cut out the tumor of the first patient and affected the bowel. But they had to use another polypropylene mesh for the abdominal wall. Later on, the patient experienced chemotherapy.

The second patient’s case is more severe. There was metastasis in the groin and armpit of the person, and the surgeons recommended a mesh on the excision operation. Unfortunately, the patient passed away within months.

The death of the second patient shows how aggressive SCC is regardless of whether the person is predisposed to cancer. 

Possible Links Between Infections and Cancer

There is a possible link between mesh implants and cancer, even if most hernia meshes are made of non-carcinogenic materials.

Chronic inflammation is a common symptom and cause of different diseases, including cancer. This type of inflammation may be due to long-term infection of an organ or tissue.

Mesh implants may lead to a precancerous infection because:

• Bacteria, viruses, and other microbes invaded the surgical area with the mesh.
• The individual rejects the device, also known as mesh rejection.
• The mesh pokes the rectum, anus, or other organs, also known as mesh perforation.
• The device travels throughout the stomach or anywhere else in the body, also known as mesh migration.
• The device disintegrates, also known as mesh erosion. 
• The mesh blocks the bowel, also known as mesh obstruction. 
• The mesh contracts or rips.
• The hernia reappears.
• The mesh rubs against the skin.

Preventing Cancer in People With Hernia Mesh 

Since many studies show that hernia mesh infections are caused by “mesh misuse,” it might be easy to say that properly handling the mesh can prevent cancer. 

It’s also worth noting that patients suffer for many years until the infected mesh is removed. Therefore, the best way to prevent complications is to remove it as soon as possible when it becomes infected. This will help avoid inflammation and cancer.

You can also go through radiation or chemotherapy if the surgeon cannot remove the entire tumor during the surgery. 

Excision surgery is the process of removing the tumor caused by an inflamed mesh implant and some normal tissue surrounding it. Remember that the pain will remain in at least one in three people after the mesh removal.

A few cases have shown that mesh implants can cause cancer due to negligence. Talk to your doctor about the risks and infections of getting hernia device implants. Never ignore your symptoms, especially when you start feeling pain and fever.