Incidence of Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Mice fed 9, 10-Dimethylbenz(a)anthracene

Abstract

9,10-Dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA) has been used to induce neoplasms in experimental animals for some years¹. However, the oral route of administering this compound has received little attention. Engelbreth-Holm and Poulsen² increased the incidence of leukæmia and mammary carcinoma at an early age, and Saxén et al.³ induced carcinoma of the forestomach by feeding DMBA to mice of strain Street (then, not an inbred strain). Saxén⁴ used irradiated C57Br mice for his DMBA feeding experiments. It was considered of interest to extend these observations on feeding DMBA under different experimental conditions and on other strains of mice. This communication reports the successful induction of neoplasms with a low total dose of the carcinogen. It gives the incidence and describes the pathological changes observed when C57Br and C3H mice were tube fed with a DMBA emulsion.