Rat and mouse forestomach tumors induced by chronic oral administration of styrene oxide

Styrene oxide (CAS: 96-09-3) was administered in corn oil by gavage three times a week at two dose levels to groups of 52 male and 52 female F344 rats and 52 male and 52 female B6C3F1 mice for 2 years, after which the surviving animals were killed and examined histopathologically. The doses given to rats were 550 and 275 mg/kg (body wt) per treatment; in mice the two doses were 750 and 375 mg/kg (body wt) per treatment. The main pathologic findings were high incidences of squamous cell carcinomas or papillomas of the forestomach in both sexes of both rats and mice. These neoplasms were virtually absent from the 52 controls of either sex of both species given parallel treatment with corn oil alone. There was a statistically significant increase in the incidence of hepatocellular neoplasms in male mice receiving 375 mg styrene oxide/kg. Styrene oxide is carcinogenic to both sexes of F344 rats and B6C3F1 mice when administered orally in corn oil.