Any surgical procedure carries risks, but what many women are now learning is that a tool employed for morcellation of fibroids could have caused deadly cancer to spread throughout their bodies.

Power morcellators are surgical tools used for removing fibroids. Morcellators became popular because they involve only a small incision through which a surgeon can cut (or “morcellate”) tissue and remove it in pieces from the patient’s body.

This less invasive procedure allows patients a speedier recovery and is also considered easier to perform than traditional surgery.

Power Morcellation Surgery

Approximately 600,000 women undergo hysterectomy each year in the United States, and half of those surgeries involve minimally invasive procedures. Of those 300,000 surgeries, about 12 percent involve power morcellators.

Another 250,000 women undergo laparoscopic surgery annually for morcellation of fibroids, or leiomyomas. These growths form a round, rubbery mass on the uterine’s muscle tissue, and are most common during a woman’s childbearing years.

Fibroids may cause excessive bleeding, pressure, and pain. Morcellation of fibroids does not require removal of the uterus. All together, about 60,000 women each year undergo uterine surgeries involving power morcellators.

Cancer Risk in Morcellation of Fibroids

Medical studies show, however, that morcellation of fibroids can leave behind tissue fragments and propel hidden cancer cells throughout the body. When uterine sarcoma is present during surgery, morcellation of fibroids can leave behind fragments of malignant tissue and spread cancer cells to the abdomen or pelvis.

The procedure can worsen a patient’s prognosis when compared to traditional hysterectomy whereby the uterus is removed intact or when compared to leaving uterine sarcoma simply untreated.

As the Wall Street Journal has reported, doctors at Harvard Medical School and Boston University estimate that uterine morcellation “results in hundreds of avoidable deaths each year.”

FDA Power Morcellator Warning

In November 2014, the FDA instructed doctors to immediately discontinue use of power morcellators in the vast majority of morcellation of fibroids to address what the agency deemed “a significant public health issue.”

The agency reports that if a laparoscopic power morcellation is used during a hysterectomy or myomectomy in women with unsuspected uterine sarcoma, there is a risk that the procedure will spread the cancerous tissue within the abdomen and pelvis, significantly worsening the patient’s long-term survival.

Because of this risk and the availability of alternative surgical options for most women, the FDA is warning against the use of laparoscopic power morcellators in the majority of women undergoing myomectomy or hysterectomy for treatment of fibroids.

What Should I Do?

An increasing number of women now report being diagnosed with Stage IV cancer following laparoscopic surgery using morcellators.

If you or a loved one underwent a laparascopic gynecological surgery for morcellation of fibroids and thereafter developed uterus, pelvis or abdomen cancer, you need to protect your rights and speak to an experienced morcellator cancer attorney as soon as possible.

You may be entitled to a significant award for pain and suffering and other damages caused by the spread of undetected sarcoma due to morcellation of fibroids. Contact an experienced attorney for your free, no obligation consultation.