Tumor induction by monoenergetic neutrons in B6C3F1 mice

This study was undertaken to investigate induction of tumors by monoenergetic neutrons in B6C3F1 mice. Individual groups of 6 week-old animals of both sexes (about 30 mice/group) were exposed to 0.5 Gy of various monoenergetic neutrons (dose rate 0.5 cGy/min) and then observed for 13 months. The incidences of tumors (mainly liver neoplasms) in non-irradiated male and female controls were 11% and 0%, respectively. In the irradiated animals, the incidences were 53%, 50%, 60% and 43% in males, and 75%, 81%, 71%, and 85% in females, after 0.18, 0.32, 0.6 and 1.0 MeV neutron exposure, respectively. There were no significant differences in the tumor induction rate among the different energy groups.