Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37149030›Full record

SynthesisEnvironmental research2023

In utero exposure to diethylstilbestrol and blood DNA methylation in adult women: Results from a meta-analysis of two cohort studies.

Clara Bodelon, Gretchen L Gierach, Elizabeth E Hatch, Emily Riseberg, Amy Hutchinson, Meredith Yeager, Dale P Sandler, Jack A Taylor, Robert N Hoover, Zongli Xu and 3 more

Open access · greenAbstract readMeta-Analysis
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Environmental research, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
0.8field-weighted citation impact, top 28% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Effect of Diethylstilbestrol on Implantation and Decidualization in Mice.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025
    Article
  2. Review
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.

Clara BodelonIntegrative Tumor Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA. Electronic address: clara.bodelon@nih.gov.
Gretchen L GierachIntegrative Tumor Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Elizabeth E HatchDepartment of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.
Emily RisebergDepartment of Nutrition, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA.
Amy HutchinsonCancer Genomics Research Laboratory, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, USA.
Meredith YeagerCancer Genomics Research Laboratory, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, USA.
Dale P SandlerEpidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA.
Jack A TaylorEpidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA; Epigenetic and Stem Cell Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA.
Robert N HooverTrans-Divisional Research Program, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Zongli XuEpidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA.
Linda TitusPublic Health, Muskie School of Public Service, University of Southern Maine, Portland, ME, USA.
Julie R PalmerSlone Epidemiology Center and Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.
Rebecca TroisiTrans-Divisional Research Program, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA. Electronic address: troisir@mail.nih.gov.
National Institutes of Health · USBoston University · USFrederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research · USHarvard University · USUniversity of Southern Maine · US

Funding

Early Life Exposures and Subsequent Cancer RiskZIACP010168 · NCI · DIVISION OF CANCER EPIDEMIOLOGY AND GENETICS · PI GIERACH, GRETCHEN · 2009 to 2025
$40.9M
Environmental and Genetic Risk Factors For Breast Cancer: The Sister StudyZIAES044005 · NIEHS · NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES · PI SANDLER, DALE P · 2009 to 2025
$22.7M
Intramural NIH HHS Z99 CA999999Intramural NIH HHS ZIA CP010168
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPrenatal exposure to diethylstilbestrol (DES) is associated with several adverse health outcomes. Animal studies have shown associations between prenatal DES exposure and DNA methylation.

objectiveThe aim of this study was to explore blood DNA methylation in women exposed and unexposed to DES in utero.

methodsSixty women (40 exposed and 20 unexposed) in the National Cancer Institute's Combined DES Cohort Study and 199 women (99 exposed and 100 unexposed women) in the Sister Study Cohort were included in this analysis. Within each study, robust linear regression models were used to assess associations between DES exposure and blood DNA methylation. Study-specific associations were combined using fixed-effect meta-analysis with inverse variance weights. Our analysis focused on CpG sites located within nine candidate genes identified in animal models. We further explored whether in utero DES exposure was associated with age acceleration.

resultsBlood DNA methylation levels at 10 CpG sites in six of the nine candidate genes were statistically significantly associated with prenatal DES exposure (P < 0.05) in this meta-analysis. Genes included EGF, EMB, EGFR, WNT11, FOS, and TGFB1, which are related to cell proliferation and differentiation. The most statistically significant CpG site was cg19830739 in gene EGF, and it was associated with lower methylation levels in women prenatally exposed to DES compared with those not exposed (P < 0.0001; false discovery rate<0.05). The association between prenatal DES exposure in utero and age acceleration was not statistically significant (P = 0.07 for meta-analyzed results).

conclusionsThere are few opportunities to investigate the effects of prenatal DES exposure. These findings suggest that in utero DES exposure may be associated with differential blood DNA methylation levels, which could mediate the increased risk of several adverse health outcomes observed in exposed women. Our findings need further evaluation using larger data sets.

Indexed as

DiethylstilbestrolPrenatal Exposure Delayed EffectsCohort StudiesDNA MethylationEpidermal Growth FactorFemaleHumansPregnancyDiethylstilbestrolEpidermal Growth FactorDiethylstilbestrolEndocrine disruptorEpigeneticsIn utero exposureMethylation

Identifiers

PMID37149030
PMCPMC10442904
OpenAlexW4368373061

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.