Women across the United States are finding out that power morcellator devices may not be the optimal choice for their hysterectomy procedures.

Over the past several months, a number of patients have complained of suffering serious complications from power morcellators, which allegedly led many of them to develop cancer.

Several medical experts have offered their opinion of the ongoing safety debate of these items, and offered insight into how the power morcellators may be used. Seattle gynecological oncologist Dr. Charles Drescher is one of these contributing experts, offering insight to the worries women who are interested in using this device for their uterine fibroid surgeries may have. Drescher and other medical experts say that it’s important to remember that side effects or injuries could occur from using any number of medical devices, and that patients should always educate themselves about their own health.

The power morcellator is a surgical option, consisting of a tiny blade with the ability to make a small incision that requires absolute precision. After the incision is made, the uterine fibroid is cut up and removed in pieces. Unfortunately, it has been discovered that using this device could cause some women to develop a deadly uterine cancer called leiomyosarcoma. After discovering this complication, numerous studies have shown that power morcellator devices can rupture undiscovered cancer cells in the uterus, allowing them to spread.

Currently, there is no method to detect whether or not a woman has uterine sarcoma before splitting open the surgical area. Dr. Drescher mentions this and several other points in a Seattle Times interview about power morcellators.

According to Dr. Drescher:

• Power morcellation is a procedure that reduces a fibroid tumor into smaller pieces so that it can be removed by small-incision laparoscopy surgery.
• Morcellation is a much less invasive procedure than traditional surgery, which means a faster recovery time. However, it may cause small benign tumors to form in the abdominal cavity, or cancerous tumors in rare cases.
• There is no preoperative way to determine whether or not a woman has uterine sarcoma. While fibroids are very common, the cancerous tumors are rare but not as unusual as initially thought.
• Leiomyosarcomas have been found in the abdominal cavity of some women, but are usually found in the pelvis, lungs or liver. This particular occurrence has caused scientists to be suspicious of the power morcellator, because the cells stem from the surgical area in most of these cases. The likelihood of spreading cancer from malignant tumors through power morcellation is currently unknown.
• There are alternatives to power morcellation that are available to women. Many fibroids can be managed without removal, but if the woman wishes to do so, then traditional surgery is always an option.
• A few doctors have tried using powered morcellator devices using inflatable safety plastic bags that collect the fibroid as it is removed. It is a very new procedure, so sufficient data has yet to be made available.

Overview of Powered Morcellator Concerns

On April 17, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a public safety announcement that power morcellator devices may increase the risk of spreading cancerous uterus tissue into the rest of the body. The FDA mentioned that women who use these devices for their hysterectomy or myomectomy procedures are at the most risk of facing this possible side effect.

Medical experts estimate that one in 350 women carry uterine sarcoma, and there is currently no reliable way to predict them. The agency warned doctors to not use power morcellators for uterine fibroid removal surgeries including:

• Myomectomy (removal of fibroids)
• Hysterectomy (removal of the uterus)
• Oophorectomy (removal of the ovaries)
• Salpingectomy (removal of fallopian tubes)