Comparison of stomach cancer induced in rats by N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine or N-propyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine.

N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) and N-propyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (PNNG) were administered to male F344 rats at a single dose of 200 mg/kg by gavage and the animals were observed for 110 weeks. The results revealed that PNNG was a weaker carcinogen for the stomach than MNNG under these conditions. After MNNG, the mortality of animals was higher and their average survival time was shorter than after PNNG. Neoplasms were induced in both the forestomach and glandular stomach by both agents. The incidence of forestomach tumors was high: 85% with MNNG, 64% with PNNG, but with PNNG a greater proportion of the forestomach neoplasms were benign. The incidence of neoplasms of the glandular stomach was 18% with PNNG as compared to 65% with MNNG. Intestinal metaplasia appeared in the glandular stomach after exposure to either MNNG or PNNG. There was also a high incidence in untreated control rats. Most glandular stomach neoplasms were composed of both gastric-type and intestinal-type epithelial elements. Only 3 cases of adenocarcinomas were composed solely of intestinal-type cells. These findings suggest that intestinal metaplasia may not necessarily be a preneoplastic stage.