Power Morcellator Cancer Risk Prompts UPMC to End Uterine Morcellation, Bernstein Liebhard LLP Reports

NEW YORK, Aug. 5, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The cancer risk associated with power morcellators (http://www.injurybeacon.com/power-morcellator/) has prompted one large healthcare provider to suspend minimally-invasive uterine surgeries that require the use of such devices, Bernstein Liebhard LLP reports.  According to an August 1^st report from the Pittsburgh Business Times, a spokesperson for Pennsylvania-based UPMC confirmed the decision last Friday, stating that the move was an "appropriate and prudent course of action" while the hospital network awaits further guidance from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA).

"UPMC's decision to suspend uterine morcellation is not surprising in light of the recent evidence linking the using of power morcellators to the spread of uterine cancers," says Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationwide law firm representing victims of defective drugs and medical devices. The Firm is now offering free morcellator lawsuit reviews to women who may have experienced the spread of undiagnosed uterine sarcoma and other cancers due to uterine morcellation.

Morcellator Cancer Risk

Power morcellators are used during laparoscopic hysterectomies and fibroid removals to shred tissue in order to facilitate its removal through a small abdominal incision. On April 17^th, the FDA warned that power morcellators have the potential to spread undetected uterine cancer cells into a woman's peritoneal cavity, upstaging the cancer and greatly reducing the patient's chances for long-term survival. According to the agency, roughly 1 in 350 women with fibroids actually have undiagnosed uterine sarcoma.

On July 22^nd, the Journal of the American Medical Association published a study that appeared to confirm this risk in both older women, as well as those under the age of 50. Days later, Johnson & Johnson's Ethicon Inc. unit announced a power morcellator recall for three devices marketed by the company, stating that the risks and benefits associated with uterine morcellation were uncertain.

On August 1^st, Pennsylvania-based Highmark Inc., one of the nation's largest Blue Cross and Blue Shield insurance providers, announced it would no longer cover uterine morcellation as of September 1st. According to the Pittsburgh Business Times, Highmark also owns the West Penn Allegheny Health System, which along with UPMC, is one of the major healthcare providers in Western Pennsylvania. As such, uterine morcellation is about to become largely unavailable in the Pittsburgh area.

Alleged victims of uterine sarcomas and other cancers spread via a power morcellator may be eligible to file a morcellator lawsuit against the manufacturer of the device used in their surgery. To learn more about the risks potentially associated with uterine morcellation, please visit Bernstein Liebhard LLP's website. Free case reviews can also be obtained by calling (888) 340-4807.

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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Bernstein Liebhard LLP
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SOURCE Bernstein Liebhard LLP