Uterine Cancer Lawsuits
Cancer strikes in many ways, and while we might hear it described in somewhat general terms, i.e., reproductive cancer or uterine cancer, it is important to understand many of the distinctions. For example, consumers now read about cervical cancer lawsuits that are based on a lot of different factors. The most common among them have to do with a misread PAP test that led to a delay in the diagnosis and the development of a more severe case of cervical cancer.
However, this misdiagnosis can be a lot more deadly than it seems. That is because the physician in question may have failed to recognize that the patient actually had Leiomyosarcoma, which has to be dealt with in an entirely different manner from other forms of cancer.
Sarcomas are cancers of the soft tissue, and in the case of LMS, it is a cancer of involuntary muscle. It does not spread via lymphatic channels (like so many other forms of cancer) and can actually make its way through blood vessels (which are soft tissue/involuntary muscles) to almost any part of the body. The longer a case of LMS goes undiagnosed or misdiagnosed, the worse the prognosis.
Understanding Cancers of the Cervix
Uterine cancer is an unusual type of cancer to begin with and is frequently caught in its earliest stages, known as dysplasia. At such a time the cells appear “pre cancerous” and can be removed to prevent their mutation into full-blown cancer and their subsequent spread. This form of cancer is a slow moving one and is very treatable when detected early. Annual tests, known as PAP smears are often a simple and effective way of catching the condition on time.
Cervical cancer lawsuits emerge when a physician fails to perform the tests properly, misreads the data, and allows a treatable condition to progress into a very serious, and even life threatening form of cancer.
When it is a case of LMS, however, it can be a bit harder to diagnose properly because the fleshy masses can be easily mistaken for other conditions or issues. Additionally, the appearance of these masses can be due to the use of a special surgical tool for the treatment of another condition often mistakenly diagnosed.
Links Between Surgery and Cancer Spread
This condition is known as uterine fibroids, and while they are benign, they are easily mistaken or misdiagnosed. A lot of women are diagnosed with fibroids when they actually have LMS (the FDA says one in 350 to one in 500 have undiagnosed LMS). The surgical procedure most commonly used to eliminate these masses is a myomectomy or a hysterectomy. This is done using different surgical techniques, with the laparoscopic surgery one of the more common. This involves a device known as a morcellator, which shreds tissue and suctions it out of the body. This process, though, has been recently identified as a main culprit in the spread of deadly LMS throughout the body.
The reason this happens is that the morcellator allows cells and tissue to be dispersed throughout the body. They then adhere to healthy tissue and begin to develop LMS in places like the trunk, limbs, organs, and even the cervix.
So, there are many cervical cancer lawsuits, and while the bulk of them have to do with misdiagnosis or malpractice, some also involve the appearance of cancer due to a misdiagnosis of fibroids when it was actually LMS.
Knowledge is power in such cases and before you agree to any sort of surgical treatment, be sure you know exactly what is wrong. Ask about LMS and be sure any case of fibroids has been fully tested to prevent further spread of the disease.
Source
HysterectomyInjury.com. Morcellator an Uterine Cancer. 2015. http://hysterectomyinjury.com/