Our Firm has heard from numerous women and their families who claim that uterine morcellation resulted in the upstaging of gynecological cancers.
New York, New York (PRWEB) September 25, 2014
The controversy surrounding the use of power morcellators (http://www.drugbot.com/morcellator/) shows no signs of abating, as Bernstein Liebhard LLP notes that critics of uterine morcellation are again pushing federal regulators to address the cancer risks potentially associated with uterine morcellation. According to a report from The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, Dr. Hooman Noorchashm, who has spent the last year advocating for a power morcellator ban, is among those who have sent emails to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in the two months since the agency convened a hearing on the issue. In the email, Dr. Noorchashm criticized the FDA for failing to come to a final decision on the matter, and accused the agency of placing industry interests ahead of patient safety. *
The report notes that Dr. Noorschashm’s wife was diagnosed an aggressive form of uterine cancer following a morcellator hysterectomy she underwent last fall, and her doctors have told the couple that the procedure likely allowed undetected cancer cells to spread from her uterus into her peritoneal cavity. He has launched a Change.org petition calling for a ban on uterine morcellation that so far has collected more than 85,000 signatures.**
“Our Firm has heard from numerous women and their families who claim that uterine morcellation resulted in the upstaging of gynecological cancers. We certainly understand why those most affected would like the FDA to address this issue as soon as practically possible,” says Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationwide law firm representing victims of defective drugs and medical devices. The Firm is now evaluating legal claims on behalf of women who may have experienced the spread of undiagnosed uterine sarcoma and other cancers due to uterine morcellation.
Power Morcellators and Cancer
Power morcellators are used in laparoscopic hysterectomies and fibroid removals to shred uterine tissue so that it can be easily removed through a small incision in the abdomen. In April, the FDA warned that use of the devices in these types of procedures could disseminate undetected cancer cells outside of the uterus, resulting in the upstaging of the disease and greatly reducing a patient's chance of long-term survival. According to the agency, roughly 1 in 350 women with fibroids has uterine sarcoma cells within that tissue.
In July, the FDA’s Obstetrics and Gynecology Devices Panel met for two days to discuss the risks associated with uterine morcellation. According to a report from The Boston Globe, the panelists heard emotional testimony from a number of cancer victims and their families, including Dr. Noorchashm and his wife. Many of those in attendance said they were never told that a power morcellator had the potential to spread uterine cancers, and pleaded with the FDA to ban the devices.***
Following the meeting, Johnson & Johnsons Ethicon, Inc. unit did announce that it would withdraw its morcellators from the market due to the uncertainty surrounding their safety. In recent weeks, U.S. Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles Schumer, both of New York, have written to the FDA urging it to ask all manufactures of power morcellators to recall the devices.****
Patients whose cancers may have been spread via uterine morcellation could be entitled to take legal action against the manufacturer of the device used in their surgery. To learn more about the risks potentially associated with power morcellators, please visit Bernstein Liebhard LLP's website. To obtain a free legal review, please call 800-511-5092.
*democratandchronicle.com/story/all-about-health/2014/09/22/fda-silent-on-power-morcellation/16070079/, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, September 22, 2014
**change.org/p/women-s-health-alert-deadly-cancers-of-the-uterus-spread-by-gynecologists-stop-morcellating-the-uterus-in-minimally-invasive-and-robot-assisted-hysterectomy, Change.org, September 25, 2014
***bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/2014/07/11/agreement-reached-whether-fda-should-ban-hysterectomy-cutting-tool/EkXZaFAUUnT5HZ7DBQvWbM/story.html, Boston Globe, July 11, 2014
**** ethicon.com/sites/default/files/managed-documents/Ethicon%20Morcellation%20Devices%20Customer%20Letter%20Final.pdf, Ethicon, Inc., July 30, 2014
***** democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2014/08/19/schumer-gillibrand-back-greece-mans-crusade/14304213/, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, August 26, 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.
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