Feb 25, 2014 – Morcellation

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ANCHOR LEAD: A TECHNIQUE TO REMOVE TISSUE MAY SOON BE MODIFIED, ELIZABETH TRACEY
REPORTS

Morcellation is a term used to describe mincing tissue during a laparoscopic operation so that it can be removed through the very small incisions made with this technique. Now a recent report has shown that in the case of uterine fibroid removal, it may actually cause cancer cells to be distributed in the abdomen. William Nelson, director of the Kimmel Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, says the risk is small but there is a way to overcome it.

NELSON: When I saw this I was surprised since I didn’t realize how that operation was progressing for uterine fibroids, because many of the operations to remove tumors, kidney cancers being one of them, through these small holes involve a procedure where once the organ that has the tumor in it or the tumor itself is removed it is encompassed within a bag and the bag is brought out so that the morcellation occurs inside a bag and cannot seed anywhere. Maybe we should do this all the time and that procedure would minimize the complication from minimally invasive surgery. :31

At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.