Foreign bodies are defined as any exogenous object that has been introduced into the tissues or cavities of the body and is not rapidly absorbed. Solid materials may enter the body as a result of the implantation of medical devices, as a result of accidents (recreational, automobile, occupational and hunting) or as a result of wartime or crime-related injuries (bullets and shrapnel fragments). A biomaterial may be defined in this context as any material used in a medical device that is intended to interact with living systems. Foreign bodies may induce a wide range of local tissue reactions, in particular inflammation, giant cell formation and fibrosis.

Contents

• 1. Scope of the monograph
• 2. Host–biomaterial interactions as related to carcinogenesis
• 3. General mechanisms of solid-state carcinogenesis
• 4. Pathology of sarcomas, reactive and pseudoneoplastic conditions
• 5. General issues in epidemiological research on implants and cancer
• 1. EXPOSURE DATA
• 2. STUDIES OF CANCER IN HUMANS
• 3. STUDIES OF CANCER IN ANIMALS SEEN IN VETERINARY PRACTICE
• 4. STUDIES OF CANCER IN EXPERIMENTAL ANIMALS
• 5. OTHER DATA RELEVANT TO AN EVALUATION OF CARCINOGENICITY AND ITS MECHANISMS
• 6. SUMMARY OF DATA REPORTED AND EVALUATION