Dose-response relationships in carcinogenesis.

Considerable information on the carcinogenic potential of chemical and radiological agents has accumulated from the epidemiological and toxicological studies conducted to date. In this article, we discuss dose-response relationships in carcinogenesis from both empirical and theoretical points of view. Emphasis is placed on the application of biologically based models to describe observed dose-response relationships for exposure to single and multiple agents known to increase cancer risk. The implications of these observations for inferences about possible mechanisms of carcinogenesis are explored.