A small power tool which is sometimes utilized to remove fibroids in one's uterus may end up spreading bits of the hidden cancerous tumors in the entire abdomen, yet Health News reported that there is a new study suggesting the likelihood is low.
The researchers refer to the findings as reassuring. However, the fibroid device, which is also known as a power morcellator, remained to be under restricted use.
Until recently, the doctors typically used power morcellators during invasive surgery to get rid of uterine fibroids, the non-cancerous growths found in the uterus wall.
Fibroids are common, yet several women eventually require a surgery to put an end to the symptoms like heavy menstrual bleeding and pelvic pain. Doctors may either perform a hysterectomy for uterus removal or remove the fibroids.
The power morcellator comes with a rotating blade, which breaks apart the growth of fibroids or during the hysterectomy, which is the uterus itself. Then, the tissue will be removed through the tiny incisions.
However, last November, the FDA has issued a strong warning on such devices saying that if women have an undetected cancerous uterine tumor, the power morcellator might spread and could worsen the cancer.
FDA also said that for majority of women with fibroids, the device must not be utilized including those who are going through or already gone through menopause since older age may increase the uterine cancer risk. Yet, the FDA stated that several younger women could still be candidates for having the fibroids removed using the device.
According to US News Health, Dr. Jason Wright, the lead researcher and chief of the gynecologic oncology in Columbia University situated in New York City, said that the recent study was made to know how many women who have remove fibroids could have hidden cancer. His team has looked at the records for almost 42,000 American women who had their fibroids removed from 2006 to 2012. The power morcellator was utilized in over 3,200 cases.