Needham Couple Pushes To Ban Morcellation For Fibroids

BOSTON (CBS) – Uterine fibroids are one of the most common health problems women face. The treatment options have usually been considered pretty routine. Now there are new concerns about a widely used procedure for fibroids known as morcellation. The fear is it can spread cancer. Amy Reed of Needham is now going through chemotherapy because she has stage 4 leimyosocarcoma. “It was very hard initially,” she said. “The level of anxiety is horrible.” It is not the outcome she expected to face after going into Brigham and Women’s Hospital last October to have fibroids removed. Instead of full abdominal surgery, Amy’s doctor used a morcellator, which is a minimally invasive approach. The tumors are shredded into pieces and extracted thru a small tube. As Amy went into the hospital, she wasn’t worried. “My level of anxiety was relatively low . . . I’ve known people who’ve had fibroids, family members.” What Amy didn’t know is that she had cancer. The cancer wasn’t in the fibroids, but in the wall of the uterus. The process of morcellation took a bad situation and made it much, much worse. Dr. Enrique Hernandez, chair of the of OBGYN department at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia, explained “If you cut the pieces inside the abdomen, there is the potential to spread the cancer throughout the abdomen so that makes the stage of the cancer more advanced.” Donna Burkhart’s family still struggles with her death from cancer. She had a...
Source: WBZ-TV - Breaking News, Weather and Sports for Boston, Worcester and New Hampshire - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Health Local News Seen On WBZ-TV Syndicated Local Watch Listen amy reed Brigham & Women's Hospital Cancer Fibroids Hooman Noorchashm Mass General Hospital morcellation tumor Uterine Fibroids Source Type: news