Development, growth rate, degree of malignancy, and chromosome pattern of Morris transplantable hepatomas.

A spectrum of chemically induced transplantable adenocarcinomas of the rat hepatocyte was developed in inbred strains of rats. For the most part, the tumors showed remarkable stability in growth rate between 1973 and 1976, as determined by months between transfers. A few tumors were slower-growing in 1976 than in 1973, and a few tumors of intermediate growth rate were somewhat slower-growing in 1973 than in 1976. Percentage distributions of chromosomes of six aneuploid hepatoma are presented. The most homogeneous cell lines were a haploid and a hyperdiploid line. The karyotype of each hepatoma had a consistent number of abnormal chromosomes. Lung metastases were observed in almost all cell lines.