Ploidy differences between hormone- and chemical carcinogen-induced rat mammary neoplasms: comparison to invasive human ductal breast cancer.

To ascertain differences between solely hormone- and chemical carcinogen-induced murine mammary gland tumors (MGTs), a direct comparison of their ploidy status was assessed. Nuclear image cytometry (NIC) was used to evaluate ploidy in ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and MGTs induced solely by 17beta-estradiol (E(2)) in female A-strain Copenhagen Irish hooded gene rats (ACI) and E(2) plus testosterone propionate in male Noble rats. These results were compared to ploidy data from primary MGTs induced by two synthetic carcinogens, 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]antracene and nitrosomethylurea in female Brown Lewis Norway rats and an environmental carcinogen, 6-nitrochrysene, in female Sprague-Dawley rats.