Recent studies suggest that Johnson & Johnson’s power morcellators, commonly used in surgeries such as laparoscopic fibroid surgery and hysterectomies, may cause the spread of cancer cells in the body of uterine surgery patients.

According to the Pittsburg Business Times, Pennsylvania pathologist Dr. Robert Lamparter warned Johnson & Johnson that their power morcellator had the potential to spread cancerous cells back in 2006. On April 17, 2014, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) put out an urgent news release which discouraged the use of power morcellators in procedures involving removal or partial removal of the uterus or uterine fibroids.

“Based on an analysis of currently available data, the FDA has determined that approximately 1 in 350 women who are undergoing hysterectomy or myomectomy for fibroids have an unsuspected type of uterine cancer called uterine sarcoma,” the FDA said in its news release. “If laparoscopic power morcellation is performed in these women, there is a risk that the procedure will spread the cancerous tissue within the abdomen and pelvis, significantly worsening the patient’s likelihood of long-term survival.”

Even after Dr. Lamparter’s warning and the FDA’s report, Johnson & Johnson did not pull production and sales of their power morcellators until late April 2014. Given the evidence suggesting that Johnson & Johnson reasonably knew of the spread of cancer cells by their power morcellators for over eight years, they may be guilty of knowingly and willfully putting their consumers in danger.

What is a Morcellator?

A morcellator is a powered surgical instrument that, up until recently, was commonly used to remove large masses of tissues in minimally invasive, laparoscopic surgery, usually in abdominal regions of the body. During a laparoscopic surgery, the morcellator is used to drill a small hole into the surgical area and remove large pieces of bodily tissue.

While morcellation during surgery has become a fairly commonplace procedure in the United States, it is not without risk. In the short term, power morcellators can cause damage to surrounding organs during any kind of laparoscopic surgery, such as the uterus, bowels, bladder, pancreas, and spleen.

With the slew of reports linking power morcellators with the spread of cancerous cells in surgery patients, it would appear that other methods of laparoscopic surgery may become more common in the future. Since the FDA warning in April, many doctors and hospitals have already discontinued the use of power morcellators in surgery and are using safer, alternative methods.

For now, patients who have developed cancer as a result of a power morcellator spreading cancer cells during invasive uterine surgery could and should join a class action lawsuit and force makers like Johnson & Johnson to face justice for putting their consumers in danger of developing cancer.