A recent study shows that laparoscopic hysterectomies are on the decline following a warning from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about the cancer risk associated with power morcellation.
The power morcellator study was published in August 2015 in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology. Researchers were interested in tracking trends in gynecological surgery following a warning issued by the FDA in April 2014.
In that warning, the FDA noted that use of a power morcellator on women with unsuspected cancer in the uterus created the risk of spreading and upstaging that cancer, significantly lowering the patient’s chances of long-term survival. By the FDA’s estimate, one in every 350 women who undergo hysterectomy or myomectomy has unsuspected uterus cancer.
Since the FDA issued that warning, the researchers found that surgeons began to avoid laparascopic techniques like power morcellation. In the eight months following the warning, laparoscopic hysterectomies decreased by 4.1 percent. At the same time, the researchers found increases in abdominal and vaginal hysterectomies by 1.7 percent and 2.4 percent, respectively.
Power Morcellators and the Risk of Uterus Cancer
A power morcellator is a device used during laparoscopic surgery to slice up and remove masses of tissue. By cutting up the tissue inside the body, a morcellator allows removal of larger masses of tissue through the smaller incisions used in laparoscopic surgery.
That feature in turn allows female patients to undergo hysterectomy or uterine fibroid surgery with the advantages that laparoscopic surgery offers over open surgery: the procedure is less invasive, and the patient enjoys a shorter recovery time.
But the same action has the potential to accidentally cut up cancer in the uterus and spread it throughout the abdomen. The FDA noted in its warning that there is no reliable way to predict whether a patient with uterine fibroids also has uterus cancer. Therefore even a negative pre-surgery screening for cancer may not be completely reliable.
Power Morcellator Lawsuits
Since the risk of morcellation cancer became more widely known, several women have also taken legal action against the manufacturers of power morcellators. In October 2015, 15 power morcellator lawsuits filed against Ethicon Inc. were consolidated into a single multidistrict litigation, or MDL, in a federal court in Kansas.
Ethicon, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, has been one of the largest sources of power morcellators. The company accounted for 72 percent of the power morcellator market in 2011, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. Ethicon pulled its morcellators off the market soon after the FDA issued its April 2014 warning.
This MDL will not include claims against other manufacturers such as Richard Wolf, Carl Storz, or Gyrus. Existing power morcellator lawsuits against those companies will continue separate from the MDL.
Generally, the plaintiffs in these actions say that the manufacturers failed to adequately warn the public about the risk that these devices could spread cancer in the uterus. They also say the devices are inherently defective and that alternative designs or techniques exist that would reduce the risk of morcellator cancer.
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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