The parallelogram approach in studies of genotoxic effects

Over the past two decades mutagenicity tests have been used for the identification of potential human mutagens and have had an ancillary role, as supportive evidence in the assessment of human carcinogens. The demonstration of human germinal mutagens has been beyond the main scope of short-term testing strategies. However, just as mutagenicity tests have been useful in detecting potential carcinogens so should carcinogenicity tests assist the identification of presumptive germ cell mutagens. Cancer is an easily observable phenotype of mutation for genotoxic carcinogens and multi-site carcinogens or gonadal carcinogens logically could be germ cell mutagens. Thus carcinogenicity and mutagenicity data for a given genotoxic chemical should be considered together in the identification of putative germinal mutagens. Clearly, most classified human carcinogens are genotoxic thus helping to build the case for human germ cell mutagenicity. This paper describes the issues involved in such thinking and suggests an enhanced parallelogram approach incorporating the cancer endpoint. The enhanced parallelogram is explored using 1,3-butadiene and ethylene oxide as examples. The obvious lack of data for extrapolations using the parallelogram method suggests the need for targeted studies specifically designed for use in this approach.