It is therefore possible that risk was increased for a limited time at middle age. A 2006 study from the United States suggested that breast cancer risk is not increased in DES daughters overall but that after age 40, DES daughters have approximately twice the risk of breast cancer as unexposed women of the same age and with similar risk factors ( 6). A 2011 study also found that a large cohort of DES daughters had nearly twice the risk of developing breast cancer at 40 years or older as unexposed women ( 10), but a 2019 follow-up study showed that their breast cancer risk has lessened over time ( 7). DES daughters may have a slightly increased risk of breast cancer after age 40. Subsequent research has shown that the risk of developing this disease remained elevated as these individuals aged into their 40s and 50s, but it continued to be rare ( 8, 9). However, this type of cancer is still rare approximately 1 in 1,000 DES daughters developed it. The first DES daughters with clear cell adenocarcinoma were very young at the time of their diagnoses ( 3). DES daughters have about 40 times the risk of developing clear cell adenocarcinoma of the lower genital tract as unexposed women (women who were not exposed to DES prenatally). However, females exposed to DES in utero, commonly called DES daughters, are at increased risk of several specific cancers, including: The overall risk of cancer is not elevated in people whose mothers used DES while pregnant compared with the general population ( 6– 8). What is the cancer risk of people who were exposed to DES in utero? The drug continued to be prescribed to pregnant women in Europe until 1978 ( 5).ĭES is now known to be an endocrine-disrupting chemical, one of a number of substances that interfere with the endocrine system to potentially cause cancer, birth defects, and other developmental abnormalities. Soon after, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) notified health care providers throughout the country that DES should not be prescribed to pregnant women ( 4).
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In 1971, researchers linked prenatal (while in the womb, or in utero) DES exposure to a type of cancer of the cervix and vagina called clear cell adenocarcinoma in a small group of women ( 3).
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The use of DES declined after studies in the 1950s showed that it was not effective in preventing these problems, although it continued to be used to stop lactation, for emergency contraception, and to treat menopausal symptoms in women ( 2). It was prescribed to pregnant women between 19 to prevent miscarriage, premature labor, and related complications of pregnancy ( 1). Diethylstilbestrol (DES) is a synthetic form of the female hormone estrogen.