Diethylstilbestrol: Potential health risks for women exposed in utero and their offspring
2017 Study Abstract
An increased risk of breast cancer has been well documented for women who took DES during pregnancy, and is estimated to be 30% greater than in unexposed women.
Long-term US studies of women exposed in utero reveal an increased risk of breast cancer in women age 40 years and older, with a hazard ratio of 1.82 (95% CI, 1.04-3.18) when compared with unexposed women. European follow-up studies do not support the finding of an increased breast cancer risk in women exposed to DES in utero. However, this may be due to the fact that the European cohort of women studied were 10 years younger than the American cohort and thus, at the time, included many women under age 40 years.
Animal studies suggest a transgenerational risk specifically for breast cancer in female offspring of women exposed to DES in utero, but this has not been supported by current patient data from United States or European follow-up studies.
Sources
- Diethylstilbestrol: Potential health risks for women exposed in utero and their offspring, Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants DOI: 10.1097/01.JAA.0000511800.91372.34, 2017 Feb.
- Featured image credit Bernard Hermant.
DES DIETHYLSTILBESTROL RESOURCES
- Source DES and breast cancer studies.
- Diethylstilbestrol DES studies listed by topics and date of publication.