A controversy has arisen over concerns that a surgical tool called a power morcellator can actually make uterine cancer worse.
A patient named Anita A. recently reported serious uterine cancer after she had a laparoscopic surgery, also known as a minimally invasive surgery, during a procedure that involved the use of a power morcellator. Doctors gave her the option of an older, more invasive version of the procedures. At the time, Anita A. saw it as a “no brainer” according to an article chronicling her condition. The laparoscopic procedure using a power morcellator had half the recovery time and less scaring. But she may have suffered serious complications stemming from the procedure, according to her story.
In the procedure, surgeons set out to remove uterine fibroids, a type of benign tumor of the uterus. But soon after the procedure, Anita was diagnosed with stage-4 leiomyosarcoma. Allegedly, the cancer had characteristics of stage-1 cancer, but, Anita A. alleges, the power morcellator “blasted” the cancer cells all over the inside of her body, spreading a small group of relatively contained cancer cells from inside her uterine fibroids around her body. The extent of cancer’s spread is a major measurement of how serious the cancer is—and a predictor of the outcome.
Power morcellators are a type of surgical tool used in laparoscopic surgery. In laparoscopic surgery, surgeons enter the body through small incisions, and use specialized tools like power morcellators to perform the bulk of the surgery inside the patient’s body. For some procedures, power morcellators are used to cut tissue into small enough pieces to remove through the small incisions used in laparoscopic surgery. But allegations made by Anita A. and those involved in power morcellator lawsuits hold that the action of power morcellators may spread uterine cancer.
Uterine cancer, like most cancers, is actually a number of different diseases. Leiomyosarcoma, the cancer diagnosed in Anita A, does not show up well in various types of medical scans. This is in contrast to other types of uterine cancer like endometrial cancer. Power morcellator lawsuits allege that many women who have uterine fibroids also have leiomyosarcoma cells bound up within their tissue. Allegedly, power morcellation can spread these cells, effectively creating advanced uterine cancer.
Though endometrial cancers are not at the forefront of power morcellator cancer concerns, the same research did find in that in addition to leiomyosarcoma, researchers also found that of 36,000 women who had a robotic hysterectomy to remove uterine fibroids, 368 had endometrial hyperplasia, a condition related to endometrial cancer. Endometrial hyperplasia means that the cells of the inner lining of the uterus are multiplying faster than normal. This is a major risk factor for endometrial cancer, as cancer is ultimately just cells reproducing uncontrollably.
Research has stated that a relatively high portion of women who have uterine fibroids are at risk for this condition. Though some studies have put the risk of this cancer as low as one case per 10,000 laparoscopic procedures to remove uterine fibroids, the FDA’s research indicates the risk may be as high as 1 in 350, a very high risk for a surgical procedure.
Do YOU have a legal claim? Fill out the form on this page now for a free, immediate, and confidential case evaluation. The morcellation cancer attorneys who work with Top Class Actions will contact you if you qualify to let you know if an individual lawsuit or class action lawsuit is best for you. [In general, morcellator cancer lawsuits are filed individually by each plaintiff and are not class actions.] Hurry — statutes of limitations may apply.
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If you or a loved one were diagnosed with cancer in the uterus, pelvis or abdomen within two years of undergoing surgery for a myomectomy (removal of fibroids), hysterectomy (removal of the uterus), oophorectomy (removal of the ovaries), or salpingectomy (removal of fallopian tubes), you may have a legal claim. See if you qualify by filling out the short form below.
An attorney will contact you if you qualify to discuss the details of your potential case at no charge to you.
- First Name*
- Last Name*
- Street Address
- Apt. #
- Zip Code*
- Phone*
- Email*
- Approximately how long ago did you/your loved one have surgery to remove uterine fibroids?*
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Less than 1 year
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1-2 years
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2-3 years
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3-5 years
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5+ years
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- What were you/your loved one diagnosed with?*
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Uterine cancer
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Endometrial cancer
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Ovarian sarcomas/cancer
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Parasitic myomas
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Leiomyomatosis
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Endometriosis
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Adenomyosis
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Fibroid/uterine tissue growth on other organs requiring surgery
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No diagnosis/injury
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Other cancer (please specify in additional information box below)
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- What year were you/your loved one diagnosed?
- ¿Necesita un orador español?
- Yes
- No
- Additional Comments:
- I understand and agree that submitting this form does not create an attorney-client relationship and that the information I submit is not confidential or privileged and may be shared.*
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Yes
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