A new study written for the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology suggests that laparoscopic power morcellator myomectomies may have a lower rate of spreading cancer than power morcellator hysterectomies.
Power morcellators, a type of medical device used in minimally invasive surgery, have already been found to pose a risk of spreading unsuspected cancer in patients. In 2014, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a safety communication in which it estimated that “1 in 350 women undergoing hysterectomy or myomectomy for the treatment of fibroids . . . have an unsuspected uterine sarcoma.”
Some patients diagnosed with cancer after undergoing a power morcellator procedure have filed power morcellator lawsuits. These lawsuits allege that the devices’ manufacturers failed to adequately test and monitor the safety of their power morcellators, exposing thousands of women to a risk that could have been avoided with alternative methods of surgery. Plaintiffs in power morcellator lawsuits have also questioned why it took the FDA more than two decades to finally warn doctors and patients of the devices’ cancer spreading risk.
According to the new study, women who have uterine fibroids removed in a myomectomy are at less risk than women those undergoing a hysterectomy with a power morcellator. Researchers observed only a 1/2000 risk of unexpected leiomyosarcoma, an aggressive form of cancer, in women who underwent myomectomies with power morcellators.
Speak to your doctor about any health risks a surgical procedure may pose. If you or a loved one was diagnosed with cancer after a power morcellator procedure, you should contact Lopez McHugh for a free and discreet legal consultation.