Hepatocarcinogenic effects of N-nitroso-N-methylurea in guinea pigs

Intragastric administration of N-nitroso-N-methylurea to strain 13 male guinea pigs, at a weekly dosage of 7.5 mg/kg for 15 weeks and then twice weekly for a subsequent 15 weeks, induced high toxicity, as evidenced by weight loss and mortality and a high incidence of malignant neoplasms, over a total observational period of 40 weeks. The neoplasms included hepatic angiosarcomas, cholangiocarcinomas, and generalized lymphoblastic lymphomas.