Gastric stump carcinomas in rats--a reliable gastric cancer model?

There is an increased risk of developing gastric carcinoma after surgery for peptic ulcer disease in humans. It is often claimed that alkaline reflux from the intestine to the stomach is a carcinogenic factor of importance in this development. In a rat model which mimics the procedures done in humans, different investigators have found an astonishingly high frequency of malignant changes. We report our findings in 19 rats operated with gastroenterostomy without resection, of which 9 developed dysplastic changes. In seven (37%) these could be classified as carcinomas or high grade dysplasia. This frequency of malignant changes is lower than that found by others. The histological classification, however, reveals substantial difficulties which are discussed. Mucin histochemistry revealed an intestinal type of cancer.