Development of aneuploidy in experimental oral carcinogenesis.

Using the rat model of oral carcinogenesis in which cell lines were derived from tissue after in vivo and in vitro treatment with the carcinogen 4-nitroquinoline-N-oxide (4NQO), we have shown that aneuploidy is generally associated with the ability of cells to form colonies in an anchorage-independent environment and to form tumours in athymic mice. In one cell line derived from 4NQO treatment in vitro, there was evidence that aneuploidy was an early marker, preceding anchorage independence and tumorigenicity in athymic mice. However, this was an inconsistent finding in other cell lines and the use of aneuploidy as an early marker of pre-malignancy should be treated with caution.