Diethylstilbestrol
Find information on thousands of medical conditions and prescription drugs.

Stilbestrol

Diethylstilbestrol (DES) is a drug, a synthetic estrogen that was developed to supplement a woman's natural estrogen production. First prescribed by physicians in 1938 for women who experienced miscarriages or premature deliveries, DES was originally considered effective and safe for both the pregnant woman and the developing baby. A double-blind study was not done until DES had been on the market for more than a decade (Dieckmann, 1953). Even though it found that pregnant women given DES had just as many miscarriages and premature deliveries as the control group, DES continued to be aggressively marketed and routinely prescribed. more...

Home
Diseases
Medicines
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
Growth hormone
Salbutamol
Salmeterol
Sandimmune
Sandostatin
Sansert
Saquinavir
Sarafem
Satric
Scopolamine
Seasonale
Secobarbital
Secretin
Selegiline
Semprex-D
Sensipar
Sensorcaine
Serax
Serevent
Serine
Seroquel
Serostim
Serrapeptase
Sertindole
Sertraline
Serzone
Sevelamer
Sevoflurane
Sibutramine
Sildenafil
Silibinin
Simvastatin
Sinemet
Sinequan
Singulair
Sirolimus
Skelaxin
Sodium cyclamate
Solage
Soma
Somatostatin
Sotahexal
Sotalol
Sotret
Spiperone
Spiriva
Spironolactone
Sporahexal
Sporanox
SPS
SSD
Stanozolol
Stavudine
Stelazine
Stilbestrol
Stilbetin
Stimate
Stiripentol
Strattera
Streptokinase
Streptomycin
Suboxone
Subutex
Sucralfate
Sucralfate
Sufentanil
Sulbactam
Sulfamethoxazole
Sulfanilamide
Sulfasalazine
Sulforidazine
Sulla
Sulpiride
Sultamicillin
Sumatriptan
Suprefact
Suramin sodium
Sustaire
Sustiva
Suxamethonium chloride
Symmetrel
Synarel
Synercid
Synthroid
Syntocinon
Zaleplon
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z

In the United States, an estimated 5-10 million persons were exposed to DES during 1938-1971, including women who were prescribed DES while pregnant and the female and male children born of these pregnancies. In 1971, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a Drug Bulletin advising physicians to stop prescribing DES to pregnant women because it was linked to a rare vaginal cancer in female offspring.

More than 30 years of research have confirmed that health risks are associated with DES exposure. However, not all exposed persons will experience the following DES-related health problems.

  • Women prescribed DES while pregnant are at a modestly increased risk for breast cancer.
  • Women exposed to DES before birth (in the womb), known as DES Daughters, are at an increased risk for clear cell adenocarcinoma (CCA) of the vagina and cervix, reproductive tract structural differences, pregnancy complications, and infertility. Although DES Daughters appear to be at highest risk for clear cell cancer in their teens and early 20s, cases have been reported in DES Daughters in their 30s and 40s (Hatch, 1998).
  • Men exposed to DES before birth (in the womb), known as DES Sons, are at an increased risk for non-cancerous epididymal cysts.

Researchers are still following the health of persons exposed to DES to determine whether other health problems occur as they grow older.

Current research also looks at DES Third Generation. Third Generation refers to the offspring of DES Sons and Daughters. There is not yet much information available because the Third Generation are at an age where they can start to be physiologically affected by the DES exposure of his or her parent(s).

Third generation injuries are associated with preterm labor or deliveries resulting in premature birth and cerebral palsy, blindess or other neurological deficits or death of a child. One DES Daughter had a child who, at the age of four years, had such a severe case of cerebral palsy that the child was unable to turn himself over; the cerebral palsy was linked to the DES exposure of the mother.

Another study (J Pediatr Hematol Oncol 2003; 25:635-636.) found DES to be transgenerational, meaning that the maternal grandmother had taken DES while pregnant but the mother did not experience any health associated with the DES exposure. This was realized when a rare tumor was discovered on a 15 year old girl.

Read more at Wikipedia.org


[List your site here Free!]


Diethylstilbestrol diphosphate
From Gale Encyclopedia of Cancer, by Ph.D. Margaret Alic

Definition

Diethylstilbestrol diphosphate is a synthetic (manufactured) form of the female hormone estrogen. Brand names for diethylstilbestrol include Stilphostrol, and is also referred to as Stilbestrol and DES.

Purpose

Diethylstilbestrol is used to relieve symptoms of advanced breast cancer that has metastasized, or spread, from the breast to other parts of the body. It is used to treat breast cancer in men and in postmenopausal women. Diethylstilbestrol also has been used to relieve symptoms of advanced cancer of the prostate in men.

Description

Diethylstilbestrol was the first form of estrogen made in the laboratory. It was prescribed to millions of women in the 1950s and 1960s to prevent miscarriage and premature birth. This use was discontinued in the 1970s, when abnormalities of the reproductive systems were found in some children of women who took the drug during pregnancy. Furthermore, daughters of women who took this drug during pregnancy are at an increased risk for developing certain types of cervical and vaginal cancers.

Diethylstilbestrol is used to relieve some symptoms of advanced breast cancer in certain men and women. The drug can interfere with the spread of cancer cells that require estrogen to grow and divide.

Diethylstilbestrol sometimes is used to relieve symptoms of advanced prostate cancer in men. This drug can lower the levels of the male hormone testosterone, which is required for the growth and division of these cancer cells. However, diethylstilbestrol can cause severe side effects in men, including breast enlargement and increased risk of heart disease and blood clots. Thus, it is no longer widely used for the treatment of prostate cancer.

Recommended dosage

Diethylstilbestrol usually is given as a pill, which should be taken at the same time each day. The dosage varies depending on body weight and the type of cancer that is being treated. For breast cancer, the dose is 15 mg per day.

For inoperable prostate cancer, the dose is 50 mg three times a day and can be increased up to 200 mg or more three times a day. Maximum dose is 1 gram a day. For the treatment of prostate cancer, diethylstilbestrol can also be injected slowly into a vein. The dosage may be as high as 1 gram per day for five or more days. The dosage then may be lowered to 250-500 mg once or twice per week.

Precautions

Diethylstilbestrol can cause serious birth defects in humans. Children of women who take diethylstilbestrol (DES) during pregnancy may develop reproductive system abnormalities at puberty, and daughters are at an increased risk for developing vaginal cancer. Therefore, this drug should not be taken by pregnant women, or by either the man or the woman at the time of conception. Women should not breast-feed infants while taking this drug, since estrogens pass into the breast milk.

Diethylstilbestrol may not be indicated, or should be used with caution, for individuals whose medical histories include any of the following:

  • heart, kidney, or liver damage

  • disease of the gallbladder or gallstones

  • inflammation of the pancreas

  • bone or uterine cancer

  • fibroid tumors of the uterus

  • unusual vaginal bleeding

  • endometriosis (uterine cells in the ovaries or other pelvic organs)

  • high cholesterol

  • blood clots or circulatory problems in males

Side effects

Diethylstilbestrol affects normal cells as well as cancer cells, so side effects can occur with this medicine. The side effects associated with diethylstilbestrol usually are mild and temporary. Common side effects include:

  • enlargement of the breasts

  • breast tenderness

  • decreased sexual desire

  • voice changes

  • swelling of the feet and lower legs

  • fluid retention

  • weight gain

Less common side effects of diethylstilbestrol include:

  • nausea and vomiting during the first few weeks of treatment

  • changes in vaginal bleeding

  • loss of bladder control

  • lumps or discharge from the breasts

  • stomach, side, or abdominal pain

  • yellow skin or eyes

Taking the medicine with food may reduce or prevent nausea.

Rarely, diethylstilbestrol results in the formation of blood clots in the legs or in the lungs. This primarily affects men who are receiving high-dosage treatment for breast or prostate cancers. Symptoms of blood clots include:

  • pain, redness, or swelling in the calf

  • weakness or tingling in an arm or leg

  • faintness

  • sudden severe headache

  • vision changes

  • shortness of breath

  • chest pain

  • coughing up blood (hemoptysis)

Interactions

Medicines that may adversely affect the liver when taken along with diethylstilbestrol include:

  • acetaminophen (as in Tylenol; long-term or high-dose usage)

  • amiodarone (Cordarone)

  • anabolic steroids (such as nandrolone, oxandrolone, oxymetholone, stanozolol)

  • androgens (male hormones)

  • antithyroid drugs that are used to treat an overactive thyroid

  • birth control pills containing estrogen

  • carbamazepine (Tegretol)

  • carmustine (BiCNU)

  • chloroquine (Aralen)

  • dantrolene (Dantrium)

  • daunorubicin (Cerubidine)

  • disulfiram (Antabuse)

  • divalproex (Depakote)

  • etretinate (Tegison)

  • gold salts to treat arthritis

  • hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil)

  • isoniazid

  • medicines to treat infections

  • mercaptopurine (Purinethol)

  • methotrexate (Mexate)

  • methyldopa (Aldomet)

  • naltrexone (Trexan; long-term or high-dose usage))

  • phenothiazines

  • phenytoin (Dilantin)

  • plicamycin (Mithracin)

  • valproic acid (Depakene)

In addition, diethylstilbestrol and other estrogens can prevent cyclosporine (Sandimmune) from being removed from the body, leading to possible kidney or liver problems. Protease inhibitors such as ritonavir (Norvir) may reduce the activity of diethylstilbestrol.

KEY TERMS

Estrogen
Female sex hormone.

Hormone
Substance produced by the body to regulate the activity of a tissue or organ.

Metastasis
Spread of cancer from its point of origin to other parts of the body.

Prostate
Gland in males that surrounds the urine tube (urethra) at the base of the bladder.

Testosterone
Principal male sex hormone.

Return to Stilbestrol
Home Contact Resources Exchange Links ebay