Systemic Symptoms: Biospecimen Analysis Study (BII)

August 18, 2025 updated by: Caroline Glicksman, MD and Patricia McGuire, MD, Glicksman, Caroline, M.D.
An increasing number of women are reporting a collection of non-specific systemic symptoms thought to be caused by their breast implants. There is no current pathophysiologic explanation or diagnostic test for BII; it is not a recognized medical disease at this time. This study aims to address the questions asked by patients, physicians, and the FDA with regard to the scientific validity of BII.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

An increasing number of women are reporting a collection of non-specific systemic symptoms thought to be caused by their breast implants. The term Breast Implant Illness or "BII" originated with several social media groups. There is no current pathophysiologic explanation or diagnostic test for BII; it is not a recognized medical disease at this time. Recently several studies have been designed and funded to study the role of psychological and social behavioral factors. This study has been designed to scientifically analyze biospecimens from three cohorts of age matched women in the United States. This study aims to address the questions asked by patients, physicians, and the FDA with regard to the scientific validity of BII.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
150

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • New Jersey
      • Sea Girt, New Jersey, United States, 08750
        • Glicksman Plastic Surgery

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

30 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

N/A

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Genetic females between the ages of 30 and 65 who fall into one of the three cohorts.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Consecutive patients who present to investigator surgeon for:

  1. Self-reported BII requesting explantation;
  2. Patient who presents for breast implant exchange or explantation without self-reported symptoms of BII;
  3. Patient who presents for a mastopexy or small reduction less than 200grams (without implants or soft tissue support);
  4. Willingness to follow study requirements including 3-6 week and 6 month follow-up exams; and
  5. Genetic Female.

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Subject lives more than three hours away from the investigator surgeon;
  2. Previous breast reconstruction for cancer;
  3. Active malignancy anywhere else in the body;
  4. Has been implanted with any silicone implant other than a breast implant anywhere else in the body;
  5. History of radiation to the breast;
  6. Currently on anti-estrogen therapy; or
  7. HIV positive.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Women with breast implants and self-reported symptoms of BII
Women undergoing elective breast implant removal without replacement who self-report systemic symptons associated with BII
Procedure: Surgical collection of biospecimens
Systemic blood and implant capsule tissue will be collected from two cohorts with breast implants, systemic blood only will be collected from Mastopexy cohort
Women with breast implants and no self-reported BII
Women undergoing elective breast implant exchange or removal without self-reported symptoms of BII
Procedure: Surgical collection of biospecimens
Systemic blood and implant capsule tissue will be collected from two cohorts with breast implants, systemic blood only will be collected from Mastopexy cohort
Women undergoing elective mastopexy (breast lift)
Women undergoing an elective mastopexy (breast lift) without breast implants or soft tissue support

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in self-reported systemic symptoms
Time Frame: 3-6 weeks and 6 months and 1 year
Change in self-reported symptoms on PROMIS (NIH) questionnaires
3-6 weeks and 6 months and 1 year

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Glicksman, Caroline, M.D.

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
The Aesthetic Surgery Education & Research Foundation

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
November 1, 2019

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 31, 2023

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 31, 2023

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
February 3, 2020

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 3, 2020

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
February 5, 2020

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
August 22, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 18, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
August 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • ASERF-BII Study

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

IPD Plan Description

Anticipated completion of biospecimen and qualitative data collection in 2022, with publication in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal. Four peer reviewed publications in Aesthetic Surgery Journal- ASERF Biospecimen Study.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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