Women who require gynecological surgeries often prefer minimally invasive procedures, but are power morcellators safe for fibroid removal?

A power morcellator is a medical device that chops and grinds tissue during laparoscopic surgery. The small chunks of tissue can be vacuumed out through small cuts in the abdomen rather than through larger incisions used in traditional surgery.

Doctors once believed power morcellators safe for fibroid removal, but complications arise because the device scatters pieces of tissue throughout the abdominal cavity. These tiny pieces of tissue can seed new growth where they land.

Even benign tissue can be a problem if it grows around the intestines, causing obstructions. In other cases, previously undetected cancer cells attach to organs where new tumors grow.

Power Morcellator Cancer

In one woman’s case, a power morcellator was used to grind her uterus and fibrous tissue for removal in laparoscopic surgery. When the morcellator spewed bits and pieces of tissue throughout the abdomen, previously undiagnosed cancer cells were disseminated throughout the woman’s body cavity and took seed, developing into lung cancer.

The morcellated pieces tested positive for leiomyosarcoma, a rare and deadly form of cancer found in connective or supportive smooth muscle tissues of the body, including that of the uterus.

No one considered the possibility of cancer spreading when they first deemed power morcellators safe for fibroid removal. This woman’s power morcellator cancer metastasized to her lungs, and she died of lung cancer.

Power Morcellators Pulled Off the Market

Johnson & Johnson made three of the top-selling brands of power morcellators used in gynecological surgeries. Johnson & Johnson stopped sales of its power morcellators in April 2014 and took them off the market in July 2014.

That same year, the FDA warned against using laparoscopic power morcellators in women receiving hysterectomies or uterine fibroid removal. The FDA estimated that approximately 1 in 350 women undergoing such surgery would be found to have an unsuspected case of uterine cancer.

Symptoms of Upstaged Cancer

For women who have had no symptoms of cancer, but then have it spread through power morcellation, they can find themselves diagnosed with Stage IV cancer very quickly. This is because a tumor is considered to be Stage IV once it has spread to the lymph nodes, bladder, lungs, spine, rectum or other organs.

Symptoms of upstaged cancer after power morcellation:

• Vaginal discharge
• Vaginal bleeding between periods or after menopause
• Pelvic or abdominal pain, swelling, or a mass
• Weight loss
• Nausea or vomiting
• Back pain or nerve issues

Power Morcellator Lawsuits

Johnson & Johnson has settled many legal claims and lawsuits regarding the power morcellator’s cancer-spreading potential.

The company has been accused of promoting power morcellators safe for fibroid removal and uterine removal, but knowing the risks of spreading cancer. Lawsuits allege that Johnson & Johnson did not warn doctors that the power morcellators could spread cancer cells, a side effect of the chopping and whirring action of the device.

If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with cancer after a power morcellator surgery, you are not alone. You may not have had a reason to question, “Are power morcellators safe for fibroid removal?”

You could benefit from a class action lawsuit against the manufacturer of the power morcellator used in your surgery.