Neoplasms in strains of splenectomized mice after a single 7,12-dimethylbenz[alpha]anthracene treatment.

The effects of splenectomy on carcinogenesis by a single 10-mg dose of 7,12-dimethylbenz[alpha]anthracene (DMBA) given in olive oil by gavage was tested on BTOs, C57BL/60s, C3H/HeOs, and BALB/cOs mice. The splenectomy, performed a week before the DMBA was given, did not affect physical status or the incidence of acute toxic death of animals. DMBA-treated animals developed neoplasms at a significantly higher rate than did untreated mice. Splenectomy did not influence the overall incidence of neoplasms. Observed tumors in DMBA-treated groups were those of skin, forestomach, colon, liver, lung, adrenal, ovary, breast, hematopoietic-lymphoreticular system, and vascular system, depending on the strain. Types of DMBA-treated neoplasms were affected by prior splenectomy, depending on the strain: Splenectomy inhibited lung adenomas in BALB/cOs females and hepatomas in C57BL/60s females; splenectomy enhanced skin neoplasms in C57BL/60s and squamous cell carcinoma of the forestomach in BTOs males. The most significant change was in the incidence of the group of lymphomas. Myelogenous leukemia was increased in DMBA-treated groups of all strains, but splenectomy inhibited the development of this type of lymphoma.