Morphology of diethylnitrosamine-induced lung tumours in Dzungarian dwarf hamsters.

After transplacental application of 30 mg/kg b.w. diethylnitrosamine 16 out of 21 Dzungarian dwarf hamsters developed lung tumours. The histological picture of these tumours is described. The neoplasms are classified as papillary, tubular, or alveolar adenomas or adenocarcinomas, respectively. Different histological architectures occur in one and the same animal or even in different parts of the same tumour. The neoplasms derive from outgrowths of the epithelium of small bronchioles. The significance of the Dzungarian dwarf hamster as a suitable tool for transplacental and postnatal cancer research is discussed.