Missouri Power Morcellator Lawsuit Alleges Device Disseminated Uterine Cancer Cells From Fibroid

January 07, 2016 – – Banville Law reports on a power morcellator lawsuit, which has been filed on behalf of a deceased woman, by her family against manufacturer Ethicon, (a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson). The suit was initially filed in Western Missouri, before being moved with the Ethicon power morcellation consolidation and becoming a part of multidistrict litigation (MDL No. 2652). It alleges that the power morcellator used during the woman’s hysterectomy surgery exposed and disseminated previously unknown cancer cells. This spreading, the family alleges, caused the development of a high-grade and aggressive cancer which ultimately caused the woman’s unfortunate death.

Ethicon has ceased all manufacturing of their power morcellator devices and has recalled those currently on the market and in use. They are just one of several power morcellator manufacturers, but are the subject of all morcellator lawsuits consolidated by the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation.

Details of the lawsuit further explain that this Missouri woman underwent gynecological surgery with a laparoscopic power morcellator to remove uterine fibroids that had become troublesome. The morcellator is designed to use small, whipping blades to shred apart fibroid tissue so that it can be removed from the body through a hollow tube. It can be inserted into the lower abdomen through a tiny incision, providing the patient with a minimally invasive surgical option and a faster recovery time.

As it works to shred apart tissue, however, many plaintiffs allege that it may also uncover cancer cells which the patient and physician were previously unaware of, and spread those cancer cells outside of the uterine walls and around the body, accelerating the cancer and greatly impacting the survival rate of the patient. For this Missouri woman, a fatal cancer diagnosis was given post-surgery, and death due to metastatic uterine cancer occurred under two years later.

The woman’s family alleges that if the power morcellator tool had not spread the cancer, and it was detected while still contained within the uterine fibroid, it may have been treatable rather than deadly.

Lawsuits alleging much the same have been increasingly filed across the nation. Additionally, in 2014, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a safety warning concerning the topic. They indicated that estimates showed that around 1 in every 350 women who undergo laparoscopic power morcellation to remove uterine fibroids may have cancer cells that they are completely unaware of, and the procedure could risk spreading and accelerating that cancer. The FDA recommended that most women refrain from undergoing power morcellation procedures of these types, due to this significant and potentially life-threatening risk.

As the Ethicon power morcellator cases await trial, the attorneys at Banville Law are helping to ensure that everyone who has undergone this procedure and who was subsequently diagnosed with cancer will have the opportunity to explore their legal rights. These women and their families may be entitled to legal action and compensation. The attorneys at Banville Law are offering complimentary consultations for affected individuals at this time.

To request additional information on power morcellation lawsuits, or to ask questions, please call the attorneys at Banville Law at (888) 997-3792.

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Contact Banville Law:

Laurence Banville, Esq.
888-997-3792
info@banvillelaw.com
165 West End Avenue, #1H
New York, NY 10023
United States (US)

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