Prevention of chemically induced two-stage skin carcinogenesis in mice by systemic effects of ultraviolet irradiation.

Systemic effects of UVB irradiation (280 to 320 nm) have been shown to enhance subsequent carcinogenesis induced by UV irradiation or by high doses of benzo[a]pyrene. In the present study, we asked whether the systemic effects of UVB irradiation would influence subsequent chemical tumorigenesis induced by the initiation-promotion protocol. A group of B6D2F1/J mice were irradiated dorsally with five 30-min treatments per week for 11.5 weeks. The irradiation source was a bank of six unfiltered Westinghouse FS40 sun lamps. One week later, irradiated and unirradiated mice were initiated ventrally with 100 micrograms of 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene. Four days later, ventral 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate treatments were begun. After 20 weeks of promotion, there were 75% fewer tumors per mouse in the irradiated mice than in unirradiated mice. Thus, systemic effects of UVB irradiation resulted in inhibition of chemical carcinogenesis induced with an initiation-promotion protocol.