Regulators are seeking to reassure up to 50,000 British women amid concerns that their breast implants may be linked to a small number of cancer cases.
French authorities will formally announce on Friday that up to 30,000 women who received a specific type of implant in France can have them taken out
But the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has said there is no evidence to support removal of the implants, manufactured by Poly Implant Prostheses (PIP).
The implants have been linked to the death of a French woman from a rare form of cancer called anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL), and are implicated in another seven or eight cancer cases.
The implants are filled with an unapproved gel and there have been reports that the protective barriers are faulty. PIP has since closed and more than 2,000 women have filed legal complaints.
The MHRA said its own testing last year revealed no evidence of a link with cancer. It said it had received no reports of ALCL linked with breast implants in the UK, adding: "Discussions with the relevant UK professional bodies have not identified any cases." And it said there was no evidence to support women having the implants removed. The MHRA said concerned women should seek clinical advice from the surgeon who carried out their operation.
Douglas McGeorge, consultant plastic surgeon and former president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, said that patients with breast implants should check whether they have a PIP implant. "The message here is not to panic," he said. "The advice is unchanged. Women with PIP implants should be checked by the clinic where they had their surgery and can then be monitored afterwards."
It is understood that approximately 1% of women in the UK with PIP breast implants have suffered implant failure, including rupture. This contrasts with figures from the French medical regulator, which suggests a failure rate in France, including rupture, of around 5%.
A Department of Health spokesman said MHRA officials spoke to health or regulatory experts from France, the Netherlands, Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Denmark and Malta.
A spokesman said: "They all agreed that there was no evidence of any increase in incidents of cancer associated with PIP breast implants and no evidence of any disproportionate rupture rates. This is in line with UK findings. MHRA is currently advising that women with any concerns should make an appointment with their implanting surgeon and have a full discussion. MHRA and its experts will be looking carefully at the French safety statement when it comes out as a matter of priority and issue further advice as necessary."