Mammary tumors, hepatocellular carcinomas, and pancreatic islet changes in C3H-Avy Mice

Studies of tumor incidence and assorted lesions found in 187 C3H-Avy mice throughout their natural life-spans revealed the following: Hepatocellular carcinomas occurred in 54.3% of males, mammary carcinomas in 95% of females, pancreatic islet cell adenomas in 9.4% of males and in no females, and pancreatic islet cell hyperplasia in 41% of males and 23% of fefemales. Islet cell hyperplasia and adenomas appeared to consist predominantly of alpha and delta cells. Multiple tumors, or hyperplasia, or both, of a single site or of multiple sites occurred as frequently in males as they did in females--49.6% and 51.7% respectively. The most frequent neoplasms were hepatocellular carcinomas and islet cell tumors or hyperplasia in males (45.7%) and multiple mammary tumors in females (30%). Heretofore unreported tumors found in this strain of mouse were 12 islet cell adenomas, 2 spindle cell tumors of the meninges and olfactory lobes, a squamous cell carcinoma of the nasal turbinates, and a schwannoma of the spermatic cord.