A Missouri morcellator cancer lawsuit may be an option for women who had a surgical procedure using the device and developed serious complications. Power morcellators are used to remove noncancerous uterine fibroids in minimally invasive laparoscopic procedures. In some cases, however, power morcellation can allegedly cause unsuspecting uterine sarcomas to spread, leading to potentially dangerous complications. Affected patients and their families may be able to file a lawsuit and pursue damages with the help of a Missouri morcellator cancer lawsuit attorney.
For more information, contact Attorney Group for Missouri. We offer free, confidential, no obligation consultations. We can help answer your questions, and if you choose to pursue a case we can connect you with an affiliated Missouri Morcellator cancer lawsuit attorney who can assist you throughout the legal process.
Uterine Fibroids
Uterine fibroids are noncancerous growths in the uterus. Women often have no idea that they have uterine fibroids, as WebMD explains. Fertility may be affected by the fibroids, and they may be diagnosed with a variety of methods such as hysteroscopy, hysterosalpingogram, uterine biopsy, MRI or ultrasound. Because doctors can often feel sizable fibroids during a manual examination, the above diagnostics tend to confirm or double check a diagnosis rather than serve as the first line of a diagnosis.
Uterine Fibroid Treatment
Often, doctors wait to see if uterine fibroids shrink on their own, however, some form of invasive treatment may be necessary. When treatment occurs, it can be nonsurgical or surgical. Surgical approaches include laparoscopies, vaginal approaches, hysterectomies and myomectomies, while nonsurgical approaches include hormones such as estrogen or Lupron. The hormones may help reduce bleeding, as do some intrauterine devices.
Power Morcellators and Uterine Sarcoma
According to the Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative, power morcellators have been used in many hysterectomies to remove uterine fibroids. Gynecological surgeons use morcellators for both robot and laparoscopically-oriented surgeries, and many procedures may have been done without a protective bag. The morcellator chops or grinds a huge mass into tiny parts for smoother removal from the body. Power morcellation can pose a problem if the uterine fibroid was in fact uterine sarcoma, as the grinding and chopping of the sarcoma could potentially speed up the spreading of the cancer through the body.
There is no testing available for a doctor to tell if a mass is a fibroid or uterine sarcoma. This kind of cancer is relatively rare, and some surgeons were complacent about the risks of using a power morcellator on a mass that could turn out to be cancerous.
Power Morcellator Risks
According to a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) safety communication issued in late 2014, surgeons should considering using other surgeries that bypass power morcellators despite the longer recovery periods. The agency pointed out that power morcellators should be off limits during hysterectomies and myomectomies due to the risk of spreading potential uterine sarcoma cancers.
The use of power morcellators subsequently decreased, but the numbers associated with uterine sarcoma are grim, with tumors recurring in almost 70 percent of patients who have them removed, as the Sarcoma Foundation of America explains. The five-year survival rate varies and may be as high as 50 percent in non-metastatic cases where the cancer has not spread.
Morcellator Cancer Lawsuit Claims
Many affected women and their families have sued power morcellator manufacturers such as Johnson & Johnson and Ethicon, alleging that they promoted the use of the morcellators despite knowing the risks. The lawsuits, such as one filed in Philadelphia in 2015, point to documents from as far back as the 1990s as probable proof of their claims that power morcellator manufacturers kept quiet at the expense of women’s lives.
How a Missouri Morcellator Cancer Lawsuit Can Help
Medical device makers have a duty to provide safe products. If there are risks of harm associated with their products, they also must provide adequate warnings. If a device maker fails to fulfill this duty, it could be held liable in lawsuits for injuries that may result.
People injured by defective medical devices may be eligible to recover money for:
- Medical Expenses
- Lost Wages
- Pain and Suffering
The families of those who have died may be eligible to recover money for funeral expenses and the pain that comes with losing a loved one.
The Time You Have to Pursue a Claim is Limited. Contact Us Today.
For more information, contact Attorney Group for Missouri. You can fill out the form on this page or contact us by phone or email.
After you contact us, an attorney will follow up to answer questions that you might have. There is no cost or obligation to speak with us, and any information you provide will be kept confidential.
Please note that the law limits the time you have to pursue a claim or file a lawsuit for an injury. If you think you have a case, you should not delay taking action.
