Abstract
Some data of the literature point out that a growth hormone lack, due to hypophysectomy, can interfere on the onset and development of carcinogen induced and transplantable tumours. The data regarding the experiments on pituitary dwarf mice, in which 20 methylcholantrene induced epithelioma develop in a lower percentage than normal animals, seem particularly interesting.
The present investigation was carried out on 24 dwarf mice and on their phenotipically normal litter mates, by transplanting the Ehrlich ascites tumour and sarcoma 180 both in solid or ascitic form. Body weight increase at the 8th and 15th day from tumour transplantation, survival time, and weight, morphological and histological features of tumours have been considered. The results show that the take and growth of tumours behave in quite similar manner both in dwarfs and in normal controls.
The conclusion is then reached that for the studied tumours no growth hormone dependance exists. The differences in hormone dependance between transplantable tumours and the ones induced by chemical carcinogens are briefly discussed.
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