Hidden cancer can make less-invasive hysterectomy deadly
Margaret and Joanne Jacobson believe their middle sister's fate was decided the moment her doctor used a device to mince her uterus into tiny pieces in order to extract it as part of a "minimally invasive" hysterectomy.
Lurking inside a large uterine fibroid was a hidden cancer, and the mincing procedure spread those microscopic malignant cells throughout her abdomen.
Two weeks after her surgery in March 2012, Elizabeth Jacobson of Sacramento was diagnosed with leiomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive cancer. A second surgery, followed by months of chemotherapy, did no good. She died Jan. 8, 2013, at the age of 55.
"Her suffering was horrible," said Margaret Jacobson, medical director of Whatcom Hospice in Bellingham, Wash. "Everyone knows this happens, but they say it's just so rare. They feel OK about writing off people like my sister."
http://www.sfgate.com/health/article/Hidden-cancer-can-make-less-invasive-hysterectomy-5368483.php
