Effect of interval between neutron radiation and diethylstilbestrol on mammary carcinogenesis in female ACI rats.

Both radiation and diethylstilbestrol (DES) are carcinogens for the mammary gland of ACI female rats. When DES is given at about the same time as radiation, DES and radiation interact in a synergistic fashion particularly in regard to the number of mammary adenocarcinomas per rat. We have studied the effect of increasing the time interval between radiation and DES on the capacity of DES to enhance (promote?) radiation-induced mammary carcinogenesis. DES, in the form of a compressed pellet containing a mixture of cholesterol and DES, formulated to average 1.25 mg of DES/100 gr body weight, was given to groups of approximately 28 rats at 2 days before, or 50, 100 or 200 days after 0.064 Gy of 0.43 MeV neutron radiation. At each time that DES was given to irradiated rats, DES was also given to nonirradiated rats. All rats were studied for 375 days after the date of the DES administration. When the total number of mammary adenocarcinomas was calculated as a percentage of 24 sites per rat at-risk, DES and radiation always produced a response that was larger than the sum of the responses of DES alone plus radiation alone. This result suggests that these two agents can interact in a synergistic fashion. The interaction between radiation and DES did not decline as the time interval between radiation and DES was lengthened. This result suggests that radiation-induced (initiated?) mammary carcinogenesis is not subject to repair since DES enhancement (promotion?) continues to be effective over long time intervals.