Endometrial carcinoma is the most common gynecologic malignancy is the United States and accounts for 6% of all cancers in women. The disease is classified as type I or type II based on clinicopathologic and molecular features. It is a multifactorial disease with a number of risk factors, including environmental exposures. How environmental exposures, such as flame retardants, may affect the incidence of endometrial cancer is a topic of current and ongoing interest. Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) is a widely used brominated flame retardant found in a variety of household products. A recent 2-year National Toxicology Program carcinogenicity study found that exposure to TBBPA was associated with a marked increase in the development of uterine tumors, specifically uterine carcinomas, in Wistar Han rats. Molecularly, TBBPA-induced uterine carcinomas in Wistar Han rats were characterized by a marked increase in tumor protein 53 mutation compared to spontaneous uterine carcinomas, as well as overexpression of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2. Similar to spontaneous carcinomas, tumors in TBBPA-exposed rats were estrogen receptor-alpha positive and progesterone receptor negative by immunohistochemistry. The morphologic and molecular features of uterine carcinomas in TBBPA-exposed rats resemble those of high-grade type I tumors in women, and these data suggest that exposure to TBBPA may pose an increased cancer risk.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Although the risk factors of human HCC are well known, the molecular pathogenesis of this disease is complex, and in general, treatment options remain poor. The use of rodent models to study human cancer has been extensively pursued, both through genetically engineered rodents and rodent models used in carcinogenicity and toxicology studies. In particular, the B6C3F1 mouse used in the National Toxicology Program (NTP) two-year bioassay has been used to evaluate the carcinogenic effects of environmental and occupational chemicals, and other compounds. The high incidence of spontaneous HCC in the B6C3F1 mouse has challenged its use as a model for chemically induced HCC in terms of relevance to the human disease. Using global gene expression profiling, we identify the dysregulation of several mediators similarly altered in human HCC, including re-expression of fetal oncogenes, upregulation of protooncogenes, downregulation of tumor suppressor genes, and abnormal expression of cell cycle mediators, growth factors, apoptosis regulators, and angiogenesis and extracellular matrix remodeling factors. Although major differences in etiology and pathogenesis remain between human and mouse HCC, there are important similarities in global gene expression and molecular pathways dysregulated in mouse and human HCC. These data provide further support for the use of this model in hazard identification of compounds with potential human carcinogenicity risk, and may help in better understanding the mechanisms of tumorigenesis resulting from chemical exposure in the NTP two-year carcinogenicity bioassay.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Although the risk factors of human HCC are well known, the molecular pathogenesis of this disease is complex, and in general, treatment options remain poor. The use of rodent models to study human cancer has been extensively pursued, both through genetically engineered rodents and rodent models used in carcinogenicity and toxicology studies. In particular, the B6C3F1 mouse used in the National Toxicology Program (NTP) two-year bioassay has been used to evaluate the carcinogenic effects of environmental and occupational chemicals, and other compounds. The high incidence of spontaneous HCC in the B6C3F1 mouse has challenged its use as a model for chemically induced HCC in terms of relevance to the human disease. Using global gene expression profiling, we identify the dysregulation of several mediators similarly altered in human HCC, including re-expression of fetal oncogenes, upregulation of protooncogenes, downregulation of tumor suppressor genes, and abnormal expression of cell cycle mediators, growth factors, apoptosis regulators, and angiogenesis and extracellular matrix remodeling factors. Although major differences in etiology and pathogenesis remain between human and mouse HCC, there are important similarities in global gene expression and molecular pathways dysregulated in mouse and human HCC. These data provide further support for the use of this model in hazard identification of compounds with potential human carcinogenicity risk, and may help in better understanding the mechanisms of tumorigenesis resulting from chemical exposure in the NTP two-year carcinogenicity bioassay.

Tumor response in the B6C3F1 mouse, F344 rat, and other animal models following exposure to various compounds provides evidence that people exposed to these or similar compounds may be at risk for developing cancer. Although tumors in rodents and humans are often morphologically similar, underlying mechanisms of tumorigenesis are often unknown and may be different between the species. Therefore, the relevance of an animal tumor response to human health would be better determined if the molecular pathogenesis were understood. The underlying molecular mechanisms leading to carcinogenesis are complex and involve multiple genetic and epigenetic events and other factors. To address the molecular pathogenesis of environmental carcinogens, the authors examine rodent tumors (e.g., lung, colon, mammary gland, skin, brain, mesothelioma) for alterations in cancer genes and epigenetic events that are associated with human cancer. National Toxicology Program (NTP) studies have identified several genetic alterations in chemically induced rodent neoplasms that are important in human cancer. Identification of such alterations in rodent models of chemical carcinogenesis caused by exposure to environmental contaminants, occupational chemicals, and other compounds lends further support that they are of potential human health risk. These studies also emphasize the importance of molecular evaluation of chemically induced rodent tumors for providing greater public health significance for NTP evaluated compounds.

A transplacental carcinogenicity study was conducted by exposing pregnant Swiss (CD-1) mice to 0, 50, 100, 200, or 300 mg 3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine (AZT)/kg body weight (BW) daily for the duration of gestation (18-19 days) [National Toxicology Program,2006]. The incidence of alveolar/bronchiolar adenomas and carcinomas in the 200 and 300 mg/kg groups was significantly higher (P = 0.027 and 0.007, respectively) in male offspring, but not in females (P = 0.338 and 0.315, respectively). The purpose of the present study was to evaluate K-ras mutation status in lung tumors from the female offspring in AZT exposed groups and to determine whether at the molecular level there were signature K-ras mutations in lung tumors that were different from spontaneous tumors. K-ras mutation was detected by cycle sequencing of polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-amplified DNA, isolated from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded lung tumors. K-ras mutations were detected in 17 of 28 (61%) lung tumors from the female offspring in AZT exposed groups. No K-ras mutations were detected in the 8 tumors examined from the female control group. The predominant mutations were Codon 12 G-->T transversions in the 50, 100, and 300 mg/kg groups, and Codon 12 G-->C transversions in the 200 and 300 mg/kg groups. K-ras Codon 12 G-->T transversions (TGT mutations) may be induced by oxidative DNA damage and 8-oxoguanine (8-oxoG), while K-ras Codon 12 G-->C transversions (CGT mutations) may be due to further oxidative lesions of guanine and 8-oxoG.