Compensatory regeneration, mitogen-induced liver growth, and multistage chemical carcinogenesis.

Liver cell proliferation has often been implicated to play a major role during different steps of the carcinogenic process. Most of the experimental studies indicating a close association between cell proliferation and liver cancer development have made use of a compensatory type of proliferative stimulus. However, liver growth may also be caused by direct hyperplasia after administration of primary mitogens. Our recent studies examined the possible differences between these two types of cell proliferation. Our studies indicate that a) increased expression of proto-oncogenes such as c-fos, c-jun, and c-myc is not necessary for entry into the cell cycle during mitogen-induced liver growth; b) mitogen-induced liver growth does not support initiation of chemical hepatocarcinogenesis; c) repeated proliferative stimuli induced by primary mitogens do not stimulate the growth of initiated cells to a focal and/or nodular stage; and d) mitogen-induced liver growth, unlike compensatory regeneration, is followed by a particular mode of cell death, namely, apoptosis. This type of cell death may be responsible for the elimination of carcinogen-initiated cells.