The study, conducted by Columbia University doctors, used a database of insurance information to identify more than 36,000 women who underwent hysterectomies with power morcellation at 500 U.S. hospitals over a six year period.

Of that number, 99 women received an unexpected diagnosis of uterine cancer post-procedure.

But the bad news doesn’t stop there. An additional 26 cases of other gynecologic malignancies were also found along with 39 cases of abnormal uterine tumors (that may or may not be cancerous) and 368 cases of endometrial hyperplasia (an abnormal multiplication of cells).

“I think this provides important information showing that there is certainly a risk of cancer, not only sarcomas, but endometrial cancer at the time of morcellation,” Dr. Jason D. Wright, lead author and director of gynecologic oncology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons told the Wall Street Journal.

Although the study did not include follow up data on the status of the 99 diagnosed women, the authors noted that their outcomes require further study and stressed the importance of counseling regarding the “prevalence of cancerous and precancerous conditions” prior to going through LPM.

Unfortunately, even with MRIs, CT scans and biopsies, it’s almost impossible to detect these hidden sarcomas before surgery (endometrial cancers are a bit easier to find). Still some women – like Reed and Austin – weren't informed about the potential for LPM spreading a hidden cancer.

There’s no question the morcellation issue is both tragic and contentious.

Those who want to ban the procedure call it “bad medicine,” pointing to the dozens of women who’ve needlessly died or had their lives hijacked by an upstaged cancer brought on by a popular gynecological procedure.

“It’s very simple,” said Noorchasm in the couple’s YouTube video. “You don’t mince up people’s tumors when you don’t know there’s cancer inside of it. If you do, you’ll cause a Stage 4 cancer.”

Those who want to keep the procedure, on the other hand, feel the benefits of LPMs far outweigh the risks.

“Morcellation has benefited hundreds of thousands of women,” the Society of Gynecologic Oncology wrote in a letter to its members earlier this month. “It is especially beneficial for the two-thirds of American women who are obese, and in whom laparotomy [abdominal surgery] increases both morbidity and mortality. It would be a disservice to deny these or any women this surgical option.”

'Riddled with cancer’

For Austin, who had her surgery in Olympia, Washington, a lack of information was the most infuriating part.

“The big issue for me is that no one mentioned cancer,” she said, during a recent chemotherapy infusion at SCCA. “Not at all. And I question things. I’d had thyroid cancer [in the early ‘80s] and I would have probably done something different. Given my history, honestly, I should have been advised not to do it.”

Austin said she learned of her uterine cancer as soon as she woke from surgery.

“They did a quick pathology report while I was under to verify it,” she said over the steady rhythm of the chemo pump. “It came back that it was stage 1. The cells had not started to spread and it was high grade, a very fast growing cancer.”

Austin pursued treatment and finished her first regimen of chemotherapy in July of 2011, hopeful the cancer had been contained. But in September of 2012, a new tumor broke one of her vertebrae. It was leiomyosarcoma.

The lifelong runner endured a grueling 11-hour surgery to remove the tumor and fuse five levels of her spine, followed by a cyberknife radiation treatment to destroy the last remnants. After that, it was physical therapy, recovery and a completely rearranged life.

“I’d just taken a great job and only got to do it for 10 months,” she said. “I retired from my hospital bed. But I recovered and after about six months, started running again and got back into my samba group.”

And then the cancer came back. This time, it attacked her psoas muscle next to the repaired vertebrae. Another surgery was scheduled to remove what they thought was a single large tumor but when Austin went to her pre-surgery consult, she received another blow.

“My surgeon read the MRI I’d had the day before and found my whole back was riddled with cancer,” she said. “It looks just like pepper all over my back. It’s in the cervical part, the sacrum, my ribs, my spine.”