asked the Minister for Health if he will make a statement in relation to his Department's failure to trace the female offspring of women who took the drug diethylstyboestrol (DES) having regard to the fact that this drug has been proved to cause cancer to the daughters of the women who took the drug; and the reason his Department does not intend to try to trace these women.
Written Answers. - DES Drug.
14.
The tracing of female offspring of women who took diethylstyboestrol (DES) would be almost impossible for a number of reasons. Principally, in practical terms, few women could be expected to rememine ber the drugs administered to them during pregnancy in the forties, fifties and sixties and, given the lapse of time, few patient record cards kept by doctors for that era would remain in existence.
While I am conscious of the concern in relation to the development of DES-related cancer in the daughters of women who received treatment with diethylstyboestrol, I feel that this whole area should be approached cautiously so as to ensure against unduly raising fears among women in relation to the possibility of their developing cancer.
I understand that the development of vaginal cancer in such cases is quite rare and that the main concerns centre on a perceived need to make the medical profession more aware of the appropriate form of treatment in the case of young women presenting with benign abnormalities such as vaginal adenosis which may be DES-related.