Vaginal Cancer: An Iatrogenic Disease?

Abstract

Presently we are witnessing two unique occurrences in the field of public health: the first demonstration of transplacental carcinogenesis in humans and the first drug-induced cancer epidemic in women under age 30. This article examines the current status of the vaginal cancer epidemic and possible reasons for the failure of governmental health agencies to recall and test the generation of females who were exposed to diethylstilbestrol (DES) in utero. Epidemiologic evidence indicates that the large majority of “DES daughters” may develop adenosis. The carcinogenicity of other estrogens in wide use is examined. It is pointed out that, although vaginal cancer in daughters exposed to DES in utero provided the clinical evidence to secure a Food and Drug Administration ban on DES as an additive to cattle feed, the FDA approved a new use of DES as a “morning-after pill” contraceptive even though the contraceptive contains 833,000 times the amount of DES banned for human consumption in beef. The lack of standards of informed consent in the testing of the morning-after pill on university women and the additional risk this presents to DES daughters are discussed. The sociopolitical and economic contributing factors to the vaginal cancer epidemic and the extent to which the scientific direction of medical care is influenced by economic factors are examined. Public health measures which might prevent the occurrence of such man-made epidemics in the future are recommended.