Tissue morcellation is by no means a new concept in laparoscopic surgery, but a new study lends evidence to the dangers of this surgical tool that has been tied to the spread of uterine cancer in a growing number of power morcellator lawsuits.

Gynecologists use power morcellators when they perform laproscopic procedures, such as a hysterectomy or a myomectomy, in which they remove uterine fibroids.

Power morcellators have rotating blades that break large tissue masses into small fragments. Broken down tissue is then vacuumed away and out of the body.

The side effects of power morcellation during laparoscopic surgery come as the result of the dissemination of the broken-up tissue. Benign tissue can become implanted on abdominal structures and organs, resulting in conditions such as fibroids, endometriosis, and adenomyosis, potentially requiring further surgery.

However, while doctors can diagnose most forms of cancer before an operation, a rare form, called leiomyosarcoma or uterine sarcoma, may mimic the appearance of benign uterine fibroids in medical imaging and is often undetectable in preoperative testing.

Power Morcellation Study Confirms Cancer Concerns

A study published by the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology confirms cancer risks around the power morcellator. This came after the FDA’s recent black box warning on the device and further justifies the widespread concern that the surgical device spreads cancer in women undergoing standard procedures.

The study was conducted by researchers from Kaiser Permanente. The purpose of the study was to determine if dangerous uterine sarcoma — which is often hidden within or under benign fibroids — can be identified prior to a morcellator procedure.

One of the major risks of the power morcellator is the spreading the hidden cancer cells when it is used to shred the fibroids. The study found that of the 941 women who underwent fibroid removal, 10 were later diagnosed with cancer. The overall incidence of uterine sarcoma was six out of 941. Three of the six patients had sarcoma diagnosed on initial pathology of the morcellated fibroid.

These results show it is nearly impossible for doctors to know in advance if there is a hidden sarcoma near or in the uterine fibroid. As such, the fear of cancer being spread when the morcellator is used is a very real concern.

Power Morcellators and Cancer

Power morcellators are used in minimally-invasive hysterectomy and fibroid removal surgeries to cut up uterine tissue so that it can be more easily extracted via a small abdominal incision.

The scrutiny surrounding the safety of this device has grown steadily since April 2014, when the FDA announced its investigation of its potential to disseminate undetected cancer cells into the peritoneal cavity.

Doctors were discouraged at this time from using power morcellators until the federal agency could review its potential to diminish a woman’s chance for long-term survival, should the disease be upstaged to its most deadly stage, according to the alert.

The FDA followed up with its previous warning on Nov. 24, 2014, when the federal agency cautioned against using power morcellators in the majority of women who require fibroid removal surgeries and hysterectomies. The agency also announced its request that power morcellator manufacturers add the strongest possible warning — a black box warning — to power morcellator labels.

Power Morcellator Lawsuits

Dozens of cases have come to light this year of women whose cancers rapidly worsened after morcellation, and numerous power morcellation lawsuits have also been filed against makers of power morcellators alleging failure to warn.

A significant number of morcellator cancer lawsuits stem from the use of laparoscopic power morcellators in hysterectomies and other gynecological surgeries.

However, some doctors are still performing hysterectomies and uterine fibroid removals via uterine morcellation, despite the FDA warning.