A new study has concluded that a troubling number of women who undergo relatively common procedures on the uterus may have undiagnosed cancer in that area of the body. The conclusions drawn by this study could lead to major problems down the road for women who have had certain surgeries that make use of power morcellators. This study is merely the latest in a growing body of data. This information suggests that the use of these devices could greatly increase the dangers faced by women who may not even think about the possibility of the spread of cancer when reporting to the hospital.
Specifically, the study at issue was published recently in the Journal of the American Medical Association, or JAMA. Researchers from Columbia University completed the research. A link to the study can be found here. The researchers reviewed insurance data from more than 36,000 American women who underwent hysterectomies or the removal of uterine fibroids with the use of power morcellators between the years of 2006 and 2012. The study found that nearly 100 of these women had some form of uterine cancer before undergoing these procedures using this medical device. This study, in addition to announcement made by Johnson & Johnson yesterday requesting that doctors stop using the device should put many women on high alert.
Why This Is Dangerous
On its face, the data may not seem overwhelmingly troubling. However, there are several reasons as to why the results of this study should set off alarms for anyone who has had surgery that made use of a power morcellator. A few examples include:
- There is no realistic way to detect uterine cancer before using a power morcellator in a procedure.
- Several studies have shown that using a power morcellator can lead to the spread of those undetected cancer cells into other parts of the body.
- Research has also shown that this spread of these cancer cells can ramp up the severity of the cancer’s progress inside of a woman’s body significantly.
- The data from this study have been released just days after the FDA met to try to decide how to deal with these devices in terms of the potential dangers presented.
- Power morcellator cancer lawsuits are being filed across the United States.
Power Morcellators Explained and How They Could Spread Cancer
Power morcellators are tools used in the procedures mentioned above. They are used because the theory states that these devices allow for a laparoscopic procedure to be done. This leads to a much faster recovery time. Power morcellators cut the targets to be removed from the patient into pieces and drag those pieces out of the body. It is this dragging of previously-undetected cancerous cells that many believe lead to the spread of aggressive forms of cancer to other parts of the body.
If you or someone you love has suffered because this device was used in a surgical procedure, you need to take action. Contact the power morcellator cancer lawyers at Parilman & Associates today to schedule a free initial consultation. You can either email the firm or call 800-800-DRUG.
