Endometrial Adenocarcinoma in Syrian Hamsters Treated with Diethylstilbestrol, Tamoxifen and N-Ethyl-Nitrosourea
The synthetic estrogen diethylstilbestrol (DES) causes marked abnormalities in the female hamster genital tract, after either prenatal or postnatal exposure, leading to endometrial hyperplasia and carcinoma. Acting as an initiating event, DES altering uterine development may facilitate the abnormal response of promoting agents. Tamoxifen (TAM) is an antiestrogen that competes for central and peripheral estrogen receptor (ERα). TAM exerts agonistic effects on E-dependent endometrial proliferation. N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU), a potent mutagenic agent, induces tumors in a variety of organs, predominantly in the peripheral nervous system. To test whether ENU and TAM treatment in a model of hyp…