Morcellator Cancer Class Action

Morcellator Cancer Class Action Lawsuit

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning that morcellators, a device used for hysterectomy or myomectomy procedures for women, may spread cancer growth. A power morcellator lawsuit may be a solution if you have been injured by one, or have experienced cancer growth.

A morcellator is an electric rotary blade device used in the medical field, most commonly by gynecologists, to shred and remove unwanted masses in the uterus; it is essentially a grinder with a vacuum. Doctors insert the morcellator through a small incision on the abdomen, and the mass is then broken up into smaller tissue fragments that are easier to remove. If you want information about  morcellator lawsuits, please contact our class action lawyers  at 424-245-5505 or fill out the form on this page.

The use of morcellators is popular because it is minimally invasive and allows for a quicker patient recovery time. However, the procedure can sometimes leave behind tissue fragments. In shredding an unwanted mass, the spinning blade can disperse those fragments throughout the abdomen. If malignant, these tissue fragments can then seed rapid cancer growth.

Over half a million U.S. women have hysterectomies each year. Doctors estimate uterine morcellation “results in hundreds of avoidable deaths each year.” Several hospitals have suspended their use of morcellators in procedures.

According, to an FDA analysis, approximately 1 in 350 women undergoing hysterectomy surgery or myomectomy surgery for the treatment of fibroids is found to have an unsuspected uterine sarcoma, a type of uterine cancer that includes leiomyosarcoma. “If laparoscopic power morcellation is performed 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 likelihood of long-term survival. For this reason, and because there is no reliable method for predicting whether a woman with fibroids may have a uterine sarcoma, the FDA discourages the use of laparoscopic power morcellation during hysterectomy or myomectomy for uterine fibroids.” Laparoscopic Uterine Power Morcellation in Hysterectomy and Myomectomy: FDA Safety Communication, available at http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/Safety/AlertsandNotices/ucm393576.htm

If you have had a procedure involving a morcellator please contact us. Fill out the form on this page or call 424-245-5505 for more information regarding this investigation.

To see more information about one of the manufacturers of morcellators, Johnson and Johnson, click on this link Johnson and Johnson Morcellator Class Action

 

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