The carcinogenic potential of biomaterials in hernia surgery

Abstract

The implantation of meshes to correct inguinal as well as incisional hernias is widely used in the U.S.A. and Western Europe. The short and long term results of meshes are convincing concerning complications, recurrence rate and patient's comfort. On the other hand side some scientific groups discuss the possibility of malignant tumor development due to implanted meshes. In fact, experimental models exist which demonstrate that soft tissue sarcomas can be induced in mice and rats by implanting artificial materials such as synthetics or metal. Beside millions of hernia repairs using meshes worldwide no patient has been reported with a soft tissue tumor until today. The analyses of molecular markers of proliferation, of apoptosis as well as the modulation of heat shock-proteins seem not to prove the carcinogenic potential of meshes. In conclusion, there are no data so far indicating a real risk for humans to develop malignant tumors due to implanted meshes. Therefore we further propagate the implantation of meshes in hernia repair in adult patients.