Hip replacement patients face higher risk of cancer

 Scientists have claimed that hip replacement patients could face an increased risk of cancer and genetic damage, raising fears about the surgical procedure in which the hip joint is replaced by a prosthetic implant.

A new research on the effects of “metal-on-metal” devices has suggested that it’s the implant which could raise the risk of cancer and genetic damage in patients undergoing hip replacement surgery, The Sunday Telegraph reported.

The British scientists at Bristol University have based their conclusion after detecting abnormal cell changes in the bladders of more than one in five patients who were monitored after being given “metal-on-metal” hip replacements.

In fact, problems occur with the implants when friction between the metal ball and cup causes minuscule metal filings to break off which can seep into blood and cause inflammation, destroying muscle and bone, say the scientists. There are also concerns that metal traces in the blood could put major organs at risk of being slowly poisoned, and increase the chance of cancer — in particular in the kidneys and bladder, they say.

The in-depth research on 72 patients found genetic damage to the bladders of 17 people — including three patients who developed full-blown cancer.