© 1986 Oxford University Press
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Association between Carcinogenic Potency and Tumor Pathology in Rodent Carcinogenesis Bioassays1


*Biology and Medicine Division, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory Berkeley, California 94720
Tumor Pathology and Pathogenesis Section, Laboratory of Comparative Carcinogenesis, Division of Cancer Etiology, National Cancer Institute, NIH Frederick, Maryland. 21701
Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California School of Medicine Los Angeles, California 90033
Association between Carcinogenic Potency and Tumor Pathology in Rodent Carcinogenesis Bioassays. GOLD, L. S., WARD, J. M., BERNSTEIN, L., AND STERN, B. (1986). Fundam Appl. Toxicol. 6, 677690. Carcinogenic potency (TD50) estimated from the results of 88 NCI/NTP carcinogenesis bioassays was examined by common target sites in rats and mice. Other indicators of a chemical's hazard were investigated, including whether tumors were induced at more than one site in a single sex-species group of test animals, whether tumors may have caused the death of the animal or were found at sacrifice, and whether metastases of induced tumors occurred. These hazard indicators are sometimes interrelated; however, the potency (TD50) values of chemicals which are hazardous by each of these measures spanned a wide range. Carcinogens which caused some type of fatal tumor were more likely than other carcinogens to cause tumors in multiple organ sites and multiple sex-species groups. Since these other hazard indicators were not related to carcinogenic potency, they should be included along with potency estimates such as the TD50 in summarizing the potential dangers of human exposures to a carcinogen and in comparisons of hazard among carcinogens.