A couple comprised of two medical professionals has made it their mission to ban power morcellator surgery.

Cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Hooman Noorchashm and anesthesiologist Dr. Amy Reed have experienced the dangers of power morcellation surgery firsthand.

After the procedure to remove her uterine fibroids spread undetected cancer in her body, Reed and her husband launched a campaign to ban the device once and for all.

The Birth of the Campaign

Power morcellator surgery can spread fragments of cancerous tissue, leading to a worsened prognosis.
Image: Contemporary OBGYN

Laparoscopic power morcellation is a medical procedure that is used to remove painful fibroids from the uterus. Through small incisions, the morcellator device breaks and clears fibroids embedded in uterine tissue.

In October 2013, doctors at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston removed Reed’s uterine fibroids with a power morcellator.  No one expected that a minimally invasive procedure could come with life-changing consequences.

As the device destroyed the fibroids, it spread hidden leiomyosarcoma cancer cells throughout Reed’s abdomen. Reed and her husband were outraged, and they began searching for answers.

The couple set out to discover how frequently undetected leiomyosarcoma was released and spread by power morcellation surgery. After consulting with doctors and other women who developed cancer as a side effect of surgery, the two took to the internet to start a Change.org petition that urged the FDA to put an end to the procedure.

“I basically used the same intensity I brought to work and focused it on this,” Noorchashm told ABC News. “What you’re seeing here is a large volume of time and non-stop sustained [work] in order to make a change.”

Reed and her husband were successful in altering the ways that doctors at Brigham and Women’s Hospital regulate power morcellator procedures, but the duo won’t stop until it has been banned altogether. The real goal is to save other women from an avoidable fate.

“We want the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology to change this ‘standard of care’ by ending the needless waste of life caused by spreading cancer with morcellation,” Noorchashm wrote on Change.org.

FDA Defines Risk Associated With Power Morcellators

Currently, there is no way for doctors to test if a mass in the uterus is a benign fibroid or a malignant uterine cancer.
Image: Medscape

Power morcellation surgery can cause pain and infections, but the most serious side effect is the possibility of developing uterine cancer. Although Reed and Noorchashm haven’t reached their ultimate goal of banning the surgery, the campaign has been successful in drawing attention to the issue.

The FDA has released figures that show 1 in 350 women are at risk of developing uterine cancer from power morcellation surgery. The regulatory agency is still looking into the procedure to determine what should be done to mediate this risk.

In the meantime, women are still suffering as a result of power morcellation surgery. Those who developed cancer after undergoing a uterine fibroid removal procedure with a power morcellator might be entitled to compensation. 

Complete a free, no obligation case evaluation now to see if you qualify.

The post Two Doctors Spearhead A Life-Saving Campaign Against Power Morcellators appeared first on Citizens Report.

The American Cancer Society recently made changes to its mammogram and breast exam recommendations.

In 2015, there will be 231,840 new cases of invasive breast cancer and 40,290 deaths in the United States.

The American Cancer Society has revised its guidelines, recommending that women have fewer mammograms beginning at a later age. The group originally urged women to get a mammogram and a clinical breast exam every year after they turn 40.

The society now suggests a breast cancer screening every year from age 45 to 54. The women should then get cancer screenings every other year until it is no longer likely that they will live another 10 years.

Reasons For The Shift

Breast cancer is uncommon in women under the age of 45 and the risks decrease after menopause, which creates a target age group for testing.
Image: Safe Bee

The new guidelines were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, along with an editorial and an article on the benefits and risks of screening. Another article and editorial were also published in JAMA Oncology.

Women who don’t have a personal, family or genetic history are considered to have an average risk of developing breast cancer. The guidelines only apply to these women.

A clinical breast exam involves a lump inspection for women of all ages, regardless of if they have experienced symptoms or breast abnormalities. Many of these women do not need additional exams.

The American Cancer Society carefully reviews research data to update its screening guidelines, said Dr. Richard C. Wender, the chief cancer control officer. The last review was in 2003, while the current research began in 2013.

Regular mammography can reduce the risk of dying from breast cancer by about 20 percent, but breast cancer is less common in younger women. New evidence illustrates the flaws of mammography, such as false-positive results, overdiagnosis and unnecessary biopsies.

The new guidelines were based on a 2001 study that found 61 percent of women who had yearly mammograms starting at age 40 had at least one false-positive by the time they were 50. The JAMA Oncology article showed that this was cut to 42 percent when women were tested less frequently.

The recommendation attempts to weigh the risks for each age group. Because breast cancer is uncommon in women under 45, the recommended testing begins at that age and continues once a year as women get older.

The risk of developing breast cancer during the next five years is 0.6 percent in women ages 40 to 44, 0.9 percent from ages 45 to 49 and 1.1 percent from ages 50 to 54. But at age 55, the majority of women are finished with menopause and the risk stops increasing. In addition, tumors are not as aggressive and mammograms are easier to read.

The American Cancer Society made sure to not be too strict, staying open to each women’s preferences. Women from age 40 to 44 may still “have the opportunity” to receive tests if they desire. Mammograms should still be available for women age 55 and older.

A Continued Debate

Some argue that early and yearly mammograms were meant to counteract the fear of missing the presence of breast cancer.
Image: Market America

Many health professionals continue to encourage women to seek out breast exams as early and as frequently as possible. However, some groups suggest fewer check-ups. Doctors and patients are equally confused about how to interpret the information.

Dr. Nancy L. Keating, a professor of health care policy and medicine at Harvard and a co-author of the JAMA editorial, said the guidelines were headed in the right direction. While some doctors hope the new guidelines will help to end the confusion, others worry that they are no better than the last.

“I think it has the potential to create a lot of confusion amongst women and primary care providers,” said Dr. Therese B. Bevers, the medical director of the Cancer Prevention Center at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network suggests patients receive mammograms every year starting at age 40. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends tests every year or two from ages 40 to 49, and every year after that. It also recommends yearly clinical breast exams starting at age 19.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists  will be holding a conference in January to collaborate with the American Cancer Society and other groups to agree on the guidelines.

“This area is rapidly changing. In five to seven years, we’ll have more knowledge in this area that will let us be more personalized in our approach,” Dr. Kevin C. Oeffinger, the chairman of the cancer society subgroup that developed the guidelines.

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“Tumor” is a word that a patient never wants to hear come from their doctor’s mouth. But what is a fibroid tumor? The idea may sound a bit frightening. But fear not, because a fibroid tumor is much less terrifying than one would think. In fact, the tumor itself is less dangerous than the procedures used to treat it.

A fibroid tumor is a group of fibrous muscle tissue that comes together to form a knot, or an area of density, inside a woman’s uterus. Fibroid tumors often affect women between the ages of 30 and 40. There are few symptoms associated with fibroid tumors, and for the most part, they leave patients with little adverse effect. The only real symptom that has been associated with fibroid tumors is heavy menstrual periods and increased bleeding.

“There is virtually no threat of malignancy—and there are a number of excellent treatment options, as well as the option to do nothing at all—so there really is no reason to worry,” Steve Goldstein, MD, professor of gyncelogy and obstretics at NYU Medical Center, said in an article from WebMD.

DailyMail

Fibroid Removal Cancer

While few symptoms are associated with the condition, many surgeries are still being performed on patients with fibroid tumors, causing fibroid removal cancer. Many women are being led to believe that a hysterectomy or a laparoscopic fibroid surgery are the only fibroid tumor surgery options.

This is not the case.

Many of these surgeries are being done without the proper needs for surgery being met, highlighting the fibroid surgery risks. These women could live with the fibroid tumor and deal with little to no medical complications. Fibroid surgery cancer is one such risk associated with the surgery. The fibroid tumor surgery recovery time can also be quite lengthy and fibroid surgery cost can be enormously high. Fibroid surgery and pregnancy can also lead to adverse birth defects and complications during birth.

There are many options other than surgery for treating fibroid tumors. It is important to talk with your doctor and see if there may be other alternatives for treatment. When considering surgery, one must realize that the procedures used to treat the fibroids tumor could cause more adverse effects than the tumor itself.

Side Effect Victims

Women who developed Uterine Cancer, Stomach Cancer or Leiomyosarcoma (LMS) after undergoing Fibroid Removal or a Hysterectomy may be eligible for compensation. Friends of our’s are happy to help you. Don’t let your valuable legal rights expire – request a free case review by visiting:

Click here to receive your free case evaluation.

Featured photo courtesy of: Fibroid Natural Treatment

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