Alteration of lipid metabolism associated with renal adenocarcinoma in the Wistar-Lewis rat.

Tumor bearing has been associated with a number of metabolic and biochemical alterations in man and animals. Recent studies have shown that Fischer rats bearing methylcholanthrene-induced sarcomas display elevations of plasma cholesterol and triglyceride levels. We investigated Wistar-Lewis rats bearing a transplantable, spontaneously arising renal adenocarcinoma histologically similar to human clear cell carcinoma of the kidney to determine whether similar metabolic derangements could be demonstrated. Baseline fasting levels of triglyceride and cholesterol were established in nontumor-bearing control rats. The presence of tumor implanted either subcutaneously in the flank or grown subcapsularly within the kidney resulted in a 20 to 25-fold elevation in circulating triglyceride. Following complete excision of implanted tumor, triglyceride levels returned to baseline.