Cancer induction after pyloroplasty in rats: treatment with N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine

R. J. Salmon, E. E. Deschner, T. Okamura, J. J. DeCosse and P. Sherlock

Nineteen male Wistar rats received N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) in drinking water (83 mg/L) to initiate glandular adenocarcinoma of the stomach; eight control rats received tap water. After 12 weeks a pyloroplasty was performed on nine rats receiving MNNG and three control rats. Ten MNNG-treated rats and five control rats had no operation. All were observed for 38 weeks before being killed. No difference in the incidence of antral adenocarcinomas was found between the MNNG-treated groups; however, those without operation showed in situ changes in the duodenum and those treated with pyloroplasty showed five invasive adenocarcinomas. In this model pyloroplasty alone did not increase the risk of gastric cancer but increased the risk of duodenal tumors. Pyloroplasty apparently accelerated the gastric evacuation rate, resulting in greater insult to the duodenal mucosa. Such a condition may require a higher proliferative rate in the duodenum and may increase subsequent formation of malignant tumors.