Neoplastic and potentially prenoeplastic changes in the upper respiratory tract of rats and mice

The National Toxicology Program (NTP) database was examined for tumor incidences and chemicals producing tumors in the nasal cavity, larynx, or trachea. Slides from appropriate studies were then examined in an attempt to unify terminology and make comparisons between induced and spontaneous tumors and hyperplastic or preneoplastic lesions produced in the upper respiratory system. An attempt was also made to compare the species affected, route of administration, and tumor types produced by different chemicals. The results are not meant to be all inclusive of the NTP database but to be representative of observed trends. General conclusions that emerged from this review were that rats are much more susceptible to epithelial tumors of the nasal cavity than mice; that only mice have been reported to have chemically induced hemangiomas and hemangiosarcomas of the nasal cavity; that tumors of the olfactory epithelium and squamous cell tumors of the respiratory epithelium are almost uniformly malignant and invasive, while other tumors of the respiratory epithelium are typically less invasive; that most chemically induced tumors of the olfactory region, either mesenchymal or epithelial, do not require an inhalation route of exposure but appear to occur by systemic targeting of this region; and that a uniform nomenclature for tumors of the nasal cavity is needed.