Morcellator Causes Cancer Recurrence After Hysterectomy

Former mayor of Sandy Springs, Georgia, Eva Galambos and her husband have filed a lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson and Ethicon, alleging that the companies’ surgical device, the Gynecare Tissue Morcellator, used during Galambos’ laparoscopic hysterectomy caused the recurrence of mesastatic endometrial stromal sarcoma. Morcellators are used during gynecological procedures to grind up fibroids and uterine tissue through a minimally invasive incision in the abdomen, but recently have been under fire for allegedly spreading cancer.

Galambos’ suit includes accusations that before her procedure, the healthcare companies did not adequately warn her of the risks associated with morcellator use—namely, that the device could spread hidden, dormant cancers. Although Galambos’ pre-op testing showed no evidence of cancer, a tissue biopsy taken during her procedure revealed that the tool spread and upstaged the endometrial stromal sarcoma/leiomyosarcoma. Galambos was declared cancer-free after undergoing treatment, but in April 2013, she was diagnosed with a recurrence of the cancer, affecting her pelvis and abdomen. Had Galambos been warned of the dangers associated with the morcellator, she, like so many other women, would not have elected to have the procedure performed with the device.