Background: Early exposure to estrogen-like compounds has been implicated in the etiology of testicular cancer, but individual level epidemiologic data addressing this hypothesis are scarce. The synthetic estrogen diethylstilbestrol (DES) was administered during pregnancy from 1948 to 1971, but sequelae of in utero exposure have been more extensively characterized in females than in males.
Methods: By systematic review, we sought to identify all epidemiologic research relating testicular cancer to a history of in utero exposure to diethylstilbestrol. Identified studies were critically appraised to assemble a set of nonredundant data in which any in utero exposure to DES was compared between men with incident testicular cancer and cancer-free men. These data were synthesized using random effects meta-analysis to estimate the summary association between in utero DES exposure and testicular cancer.
Results: By meta-analysis of data from the six qualifying studies, the summary odds ratio estimate of the in utero DES-testicular cancer association was 2.98 (95% confidence interval = 1.15 to 7.67).
Conclusions: Results of this comprehensive meta-analysis accord with a threefold increase in testicular cancer risk among men who were exposed in utero to DES, implicating early hormonal exposures in etiology of testicular cancer. Because use of DES ceased in 1971, this work may provide the most comprehensive estimate of this association that will be made.