Hysterectomy Cancer Lawsuit News: Physician Group Weighs in on Morcellator Cancer Debate, Bernstein Liebhard LLP Reports
New York, NY (PRWEB) May 09, 2014 -- As hysterectomy cancer lawsuits (http://www.morcellatorlawsuit2015.com/) begin to be filed in courts around the country, Bernstein Liebhard LLP notes that a national physician group has added its voice to the debate over the use of power morcellators in uterine surgeries. In new guidelines issued to doctors on May 8, 2014, the AAGL, (formerly known as the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists), acknowledged that uterine sarcoma and other cancers can be spread via the use of power morcellation in laparoscopic hysterectomy and fibroid removal. *
Among other things, the AAGL advised doctors to avoid using this technology in post-menopausal women, as they are at higher risk for uterine cancer. The guidelines also urged doctors to fully discuss the risks associated with power morcellation with patients considering the procedure. However, the AAGL also asserted that power morcellation can be a safe option for many women.
“Our Firm continues to hear from women who allegedly experienced the spread of cancer due to uterine morcellation. As the AAGL guidance indicates, certain types of cancer can unquestionably be spread by power morcellation,” says Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationwide law firm representing victims of defective drugs and medical devices. The Firm is now offering power morcellator lawsuit reviews to women who suffered uterine sarcoma or other cancers allegedly spread by morcellation.
Morcellator Lawsuits
Power morcellators are surgical devices that are used to cut tissue into small pieces during laparoscopic hysterectomy and fibroid removal so that a surgeon can remove the tissue through a small incision in the abdomen. The AAGL guidance was issued after the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) published an advisory on April 17th discouraging doctors from using power morcellators in minimally-invasive uterine surgeries. The advisory noted that roughly 1 in 350 women who undergo fibroid removal may also suffer from undiagnosed uterine sarcoma. The FDA said that its review of current literature indicated that morcellation has the potential to spread undetected cancer cells outside of the uterus and into the abdomen and pelvis, which significantly worsens the patient’s chances for long-term survival.
The FDA said it would be holding an advisory panel meeting later this summer to further investigate the risks associated with power morcellation. In the meantime, several hospitals, including the Cleveland Clinic and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, have suspended or placed limits on the use of power morcellators pending the completion of the FDA’s review.** Johnson & Johnson also announced that its Ethicon unit would temporarily suspend sales of power morcellators, including the Gynecare Morcellex device, the Morcellex Sigma Tissue Morcellator System, and the Gynecare X-Tract Tissue Morcellator, until the FDA provides further clarification.***
According to court documents, hysterectomy cancer lawsuits are now beginning to mount in U.S. courts. These include a morcellator lawsuit filed on May 1, 2014, in U.S. District Court, Western District of New York on behalf of a woman who blames uterine morcellation for the spread of cancer in her abdominal cavity. (Case 6:14-cv-06218) In February, the husband of a 53-year-old woman who died from uterine cancer less than a year after she underwent power morcellation filed a hysterectomy cancer lawsuit in the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania. (Case No. 14 5557)
Women who were allegedly diagnosed with uterine sarcoma, leiomyosarcoma, or other cancers following the use of a power morcellator during a hysterectomy or fibroid removal procedure may be entitled to compensation. To learn more about filing a morcellator lawsuit, please visit Bernstein Liebhard LLP's website. Free case reviews can also be obtained by calling 800-511-5092.
*aagl.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Tissue_Extraction_TFR.pdf, AALG, May 8,2014
**cleveland.com/healthfit/index.ssf/2014/04/surgical_tool_for_hysterectomy.html, Cleveland Plain Dealer, April 28, 2014
*reuters.com/article/2014/04/30/us-johnson-johnson-device-idUSKBN0DG06G20140430, Reuters, April 30, 2014
About Bernstein Liebhard LLP
Bernstein Liebhard LLP is a New York-based law firm exclusively representing injured persons in complex individual and class action lawsuits nationwide since 1993. As a national law firm, Bernstein Liebhard LLP possesses all of the legal and financial resources required to successfully challenge billion dollar pharmaceutical and medical device companies. As a result, our attorneys and legal staff have been able to recover more than $3 billion on behalf of our clients. The Firm has been named by The National Law Journal to the Plaintiffs’ Hot List, recognizing the top plaintiffs firms in the country, for the past 12 consecutive years. Bernstein Liebhard LLP is the only firm in the country to be named to this prestigious list every year since it was first published in 2003.
Bernstein Liebhard LLP represents the victims of defective drugs and medical devices on a contingency-fee basis, and our clients are never expected to pay attorneys fees unless their case results in a successful recovery on their behalf. New York State’s contingency fee cap rules generally limit those fees to 33 1/3% of the total recovery. As a result, the Firm’s fees can be significantly lower than those assessed by attorneys in other states, which depending on the law may amount to as much as 40% or more of a plaintiff’s recovery.
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Contact Information:
Felecia L. Stern, Esq.
Bernstein Liebhard LLP
info(at)consumerinjurylawyers(dot)com
http://www.morcellatorlawsuit2015.com/
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Felecia L. Stern, Power Morcellator Lawsuit Information, http://www.morcellatorlawsuit2015.com/, +1 800-511-5092, [email protected]
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