Ashley Milano  |  March 10, 2016

Category: Legal News

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uterine myomectomy cancerMany minimally invasive laparoscopic hysterectomy procedures performed in recent years involved the use of a power morcellator, which may have caused the spread of leiomyosarcoma or other uterus cancer.

A power morcellator is a small bladed device that minces fibroid tumors (or the uterus) into bits, allowing the surgeon to remove the tissue through tiny laparoscopic incisions in the abdomen.

Used during hysterectomy or myomectomy (the surgical removal of uterine fibroids), they have become a popular alternative to full abdominal incisions which come with bigger scars, more pain, blood loss and down time, and a higher risk of infection.

Morcellation Uterus Cancer Risk

While there are several different explanations as to what causes uterus cancer, power morcellation surgery may lead to tragic complications when a fibroid is harboring a hidden, undiagnosed cancer such as uterus cancer or sarcoma. Morcellation can then spray microscopic cancer cells throughout the abdominal cavity, essentially infecting the patient’s body with disease.

Signs of uterus cancer include:

  • Vaginal bleeding or spotting
  • Abnormal vaginal discharge
  • Pelvic pain or pressure

The FDA issued an advisory in April 2014 “discouraging” the use of laparoscopic power morcellation during hysterectomy or myomectomy after a Dr. Amy R., 40-year-old Boston anesthesiologist and mother of six, launched a very public campaign to ban the procedure following a routine hysterectomy in October 2013 that upstaged her undetected uterus cancer from Stage 1 to Stage 4.

According to Amy, who was the first patient to report her upstaged uterus cancer to the FDA, leiomyosarcomas are difficult to treat and often resistant to chemotherapy. The median life expectancy for someone with metastatic or Stage 4 leiomyosarcoma, she said, is roughly two years after being diagnosed.

When 17 additional cases of upstaged uterus cancer were filed with the FDA, the agency called for a hearing. The two-day meeting, held in early July of that same year, included testimony from gynecologists, patients and family members who lost loved ones to upstaged uterus cancer as well as discussions on how to make the morcellation procedure safer, including a possible reclassification and “black box” warning.

The hearing also included a fair amount of back and forth regarding the “weak data” on the number of women actually at risk for hidden uterus cancer which, if morcellated, could prove devastating.

Scientists Study What Causes Uterus Cancer

One study, conducted by Columbia University doctors, studied uterus cancer power morcellation risk factors, trying to learn more about what causes uterus cancer.  The researchers used a database of insurance information to identify more than 36,000 women who underwent hysterectomies with power morcellation at 500 U.S. hospitals over a six year period. Of that number, 99 women received an unexpected diagnosis of uterus cancer post-procedure.

Although the study did not include follow up data on the status of the 99 diagnosed women, the authors noted that their outcomes require further study and stressed the importance of counseling regarding the “prevalence of cancerous and precancerous conditions” prior to going through morcellator surgery.

As a result of the dangerous and defective nature of power morcellators as they are were originally designed, financial compensation may be available for women who had a laparoscopic hysterectomy and subsequently were diagnosed with leiomyosarcoma or another uterus cancer.

Do YOU have a legal claim? Fill out the form on this page now for a free, immediate, and confidential case evaluation. The morcellation cancer attorneys who work with Top Class Actions will contact you if you qualify to let you know if an individual lawsuit or class action lawsuit is best for you. [In general, morcellator cancer lawsuits are filed individually by each plaintiff and are not class actions.] Hurry — statutes of limitations may apply.

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If you or a loved one were diagnosed with cancer in the uterus, pelvis or abdomen within two years of undergoing surgery for a myomectomy (removal of fibroids), hysterectomy (removal of the uterus), oophorectomy (removal of the ovaries), or salpingectomy (removal of fallopian tubes), you may have a legal claim. See if you qualify by filling out the short form below.

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