Histopathology of Carcinogenesis
R. R. Maronpot
maronpot@me.com
Outline
• Overview of carcinogenesis
• Lexicon of neoplasia (speaking the language)
• Basics of carcinogenesis
• Identifying & predicting potential carcinogens
• Interpreting tumor bioassay data
Overview of Carcinogenesis
• Complex disease with multiple causes
• Influenced by multiple intrinsic and
extrinsic factors
• Multistep progressive process at the
genetic and phenotypic level
Overview of Carcinogenesis
Lexicon of Carcinogenesis
• Neoplasia (neoplasm, tumor, cancer)
• Hyperplasia
– Physiological
– Pathological
• Metaplasia
• Anaplasia
– Differentiation
• Dysplasia
Neoplasia
“….abnormal mass of tissue, the growth of which exceeds and is uncoordinated with
that of normal tissue and persists in the same excessive manner after cessation of the
stimuli which evoked the change” Willis 1952.
Hyperplasia = increase in number of cells in an organ or tissue
•Increased volume of the organ or tissue
•Usually associated with hypertrophy
e.g., hormone-induced uterine hyperplasia
(increase in number of smooth muscle and
epithelial cells and increased size of these cells)
Two categories of hyperplasia
Physiological hyperplasia
Hormonal – mammary gland proliferation at puberty
Compensatory – myth of Prometheus
Pathological hyperplasia
Excessive (potentially reversible) hormonal stimulation
Excessive (but controlled) growth factor stimulation
Two categories of hyperplasia
Physiological hyperplasia
Hormonal – mammary gland proliferation at puberty
Compensatory – myth of Prometheus
Two categories of hyperplasia
Physiological hyperplasia
Hormonal – mammary gland proliferation at puberty
Compensatory – myth of Prometheus
Pathological hyperplasia
Excessive (potentially reversible) hormonal stimulation
Excessive (but controlled) growth factor stimulation
May be associated with concurrent toxicity
Mechanisms of physiological hyperplasia
Increased local growth factors and/or receptors
Activation of intracellular signaling pathways
Transcription factors turn on specific genes
Cell cycle genes
~70 other genes
Proliferation of existing cells and also stem cells
Hepatectomy – paracrine stimulation from cytokines &
polypeptide growth factors
Mechanisms of pathological hyperplasia
Exaggerated response to growth factors and hormonal stimulation
Hormone imbalance – excessive androgens & benign
prostatic hyperplasia
Wound healing – a specific form of hyperplasia where
parenchymal cells are replaced by scar tissue
Viral infections – papilloma virus-induced growth factors leading
to skin warts and mucosal epithelial hyperplasias
Chronic hepatitis – stem cells proliferate since the capacity of
hepatocytes to proliferate is compromised
Metaplasia – one mature adult cell type replaced by another mature
adult cell type
Adaptive process – more sensitive cells replaced by cells less
sensitive cells to an adverse environment
Frequently – columnar to squamous (epithelial cells)
Cigarette smoke
Vitamin A deficiency
Loss of mucus secretion and mucociliar escalator function
Mesenchymal metaplasia – connective tissue  osseous tissue
Squamous metaplasia
Squamous epithelium
Normal columnar
epithelium
Reserve cells
If stimulus persists – malignant transformation of the
metaplastic cells can occur
Mechanisms of metaplasia
Differentiation of stem cells along a new pathway
Cytokines, growth factors, and extracellular matrix components
induce transcription factors that trigger
phenotypic-specific genes
Vitamin A affects differentiation pathways of stem cells
Some cytostatic drugs disrupt DNA methylation with potential
to lead to metaplasia
6-Mercaptopurine
Methotrexate
Dacarbazine
Procarbazine
Carbopltin
Differentiation and Anaplasia
•Differentiation in neoplasia refers to morphological and
functional similarity to normal
•Anaplasia is lack of differentiation
•Benign tumors are typically well-differentiated
•Malignant tumors range from differentiated to
anaplastic with at least some loss of differentiation present
•Anaplasia is a hallmark of malignancy
•Anaplasia = “to form backward”
“reverse differentiation”
vs.
stem cell theory of carcinogenesis
Morphological aspects of anaplasia
•Pleomorphism = variation in size and shape
•Abnormal nuclear morphology
•Hyperchromatism
•Karyomegaly
•Large nucleoli
•Mitoses tend to be increased in malignancy
•Giant cells and multinucleated cells
Another example of multinucleated giant hepatocytes.
Chronic exposure to chlordane in a mouse.
Dysplasia = disordered growth
Primarily an epithelial change
Constellation of changes
Loss of polarity
Loss of uniformity
Pleomorphism
Nuclear abnormalities
Squamous metaplasia
Squamous epithelium
Normal columnar
epithelium
Reserve cells
Dysplastic
epithelium
Normal forestomach
Forestomach
dysplasia
If marked and involves the entire
thickness of the epithelium but
is confined there = carcinoma in situ
Normal Mouse Trachea
Normal mouse trachea
90-Day Formaldehyde Inhalation Study in Mice
90-Day Formaldehyde Inhalation Study in Mice
90-Day Formaldehyde Inhalation Study in Mice
90-Day Formaldehyde Inhalation Study in Mice
90-Day Formaldehyde Inhalation Study in Mice
Neoplasia = “….abnormal mass of tissue, the growth of which exceeds and is uncoordinated with that of
normal tissue and persists in the same excessive manner after cessation of the stimuli which evoked the
change” Willis 1952.
Growth Rate
Cell production vs cell loss
Malignant neoplasms grow faster than benign (oversimplified)
Growth rate is not constant
Hormones
Adequacy of blood supply
Other factors
Anticancer agents tend to work on fast-growing tumors
Cells in proliferative phase
If a low percentage (~5%) of the cells are in the
proliferative phase = slow-growing tumor
that is refractory to treatment
Debulking tumor with surgery  surviving cells
enter the cell cycle (leave G0) and become
susceptible to anticancer agent treatment
Essential alterations for malignancy
Self-sufficient growth (don’t require external stimulation)
Ability to synthesize growth factors
Insensitive to growth inhibitory signals
Evasion of apoptosis
Defects in DNA repair
Limitless replication – maintain telomere length and function
Sustained angiogenesis
Ability to invade and metastasize
Hepatocellular carcinoma Pulmonary metastases
Hyperplasia
• -plasia = formation
• Neoplasia - new formation
• Hyperplasia – enhanced formation
• Metaplasia – changed formation
• Anaplasia – backward formation
• Dysplasia – abnormal formation
SUMMARY
Lexicon
Of
Carcinogenesis
Outline
• Overview of carcinogenesis
• Lexicon of neoplasia (speaking the language)
• Basics of carcinogenesis
• Carcinogenic agents
• Identifying & predicting potential human
carcinogens
• Interpreting actual tumor bioassay data
Basics of Carcinogenesis
• Molecular factors
• Morphologic factors
• Modulators and modifiers
From Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis
Of Disease, 7th Edition, 2004.
From Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis
Of Disease, 7th Edition, 2004.
Growth Factors
• Normal development
– Embryogenesis
• Normal cell function
– Locomotion, contractility
• Regeneration
– E.g., hepatectomy
• Repair
– Wound healing
– Scar tissue formation
From Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis
Of Disease, 7th Edition, 2004.
Molecular Factors in Carcinogenesis
• Non-lethal genetic damage
• Alteration of normal regulatory genes
– Growth promoting protooncogenes
– Growth inhibiting cancer suppressor genes
– Genes that regulate programmed cell death (apoptosis)
• Alteration of genes that regulate DNA repair
• Epigenetic changes (methylation, imprinting)
• Multistep cascade of events
Multiple Roles of Proto-oncogenes
• Participate in functions related to cell growth and
proliferation
• Encode proteins that function as:
– Growth factor ligands
– Growth factor receptors
– Signal transducers
– Transcription factors
– Cell cycle components
From Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis
Of Disease, 7th Edition, 2004.
From Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis
Of Disease, 7th Edition, 2004.
From Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis
Of Disease, 7th Edition, 2004.
Proto-oncogene Activation
Growth Factor (Proto-oncogene) [Mode of Action]
PDGF-β (SIS) [overexpression]
FGF (HST-1; INT-2) [overexpression; amplification]
TGTFa (TGFα) [overexpression]
HGF (HGF) [overexpression]
Growth Factor Receptor (Proto-oncogene) [Mode of Action]
EGF receptors (ERB-B1; ERB-B2) [overexpression; amplification]
CSF-1 receptor (FMS) [point mutation]
PDGF receptor (PDGF-R) [overexpression]
Receptors for neurotrophic factors (KIT) [point mutation]
Proto-oncogene Activation
Signal Transduction (Proto-oncogene) [Mode of Action]
GTP-binding (K-RAS; H-RAS; N-RAS) [point mutation]
Nonreceptor tyrosine kinase (ABL) [translocation]
RAS signal transduction (BRAF) [point mutation]
WNT signal transduction (b-catenin) [point mutation; overexpression]
Nuclear Regulatory Proteins (Proto-oncogene) [Mode of Action]
Transcriptional activators (C-MYC; N-MYC; L-MYC)
[translocation; amplification]
Cell Cycle Regulators
Cyclins (CYCLIN D) [translocation; amplification]
(CYCLIN E) [overexpression]
Cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK4) [amplification; point mutation]
Human and Animal Neoplasms Associated with
Activated Oncogenes
Multistage Hepatocarcinogenesis
normal
focus of
altered
hepatocytes
hepatocellular
adenoma
hepatocellular
carcinoma
H-ras
activation
altered
Brca1
altered
TGFa
Cathepsins
Osteopontin
Goliath
MIG
MHC class II
B-catenin
apoptosis c-fos
cyr61
Basics of Carcinogenesis
• Molecular factors
• Morphologic factors
• Modulators and modifiers
NORMAL
PATHOLOGICAL HYPERPLASIA
AND PRENEOPLASIA
ADENOMA
CARCINOMA
Thyroid hypertrophy, hyperplasia and adenoma
secondary to liver enzyme induction
Normal thyroid Follicular cell hyperplasia
and hypertrophy
Follicular cell adenoma
Hepatic Foci of Cellular Alteration
Eosinophilic Focus Clear Cell Focus
Basophilic Focus Mixed Cell Focus
Hepatocellular Adenoma
Hepatocellular Adenoma
Hepatocellular Adenoma
Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Carcinoma arising in Adenoma
Carcinoma arising in Adenoma
Carcinoma arising in Adenoma
Hepatoblastoma arising in adenoma
Essential alterations for malignancy
Self-sufficient growth (don’t require external stimulation)
Ability to synthesize growth factors
Insensitive to growth inhibitory signals
Evasion of apoptosis
Defects in DNA repair
Limitless replication – maintain telomere length and function
Sustained angiogenesis
Ability to invade and metastasize
Progression of Proliferative Liver Lesions
Basophilic Focus Hepatocellular adenoma
Metastatic carcinoma
Hepatocellular carcinoma
Progression of Proliferative Forestomach Lesions
From Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis
Of Disease, 7th Edition, 2004.
From Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis
Of Disease, 7th Edition, 2004.
Basics of Carcinogenesis
• Molecular factors
• Morphologic factors
• Modulators and modifiers
Modifying Factors
• Cell proliferation & apoptosis
• Enzyme induction
• Methylation & imprinting
• Oncogenes & tumor suppressor genes
• Hormones
• Diet & body weight
• Intercellular communication
promotioninitiation progression
Outline
• Overview of carcinogenesis
• Lexicon of neoplasia (speaking the language)
• Basics of carcinogenesis
• Identifying & predicting potential carcinogens
• Interpreting tumor bioassay data
Identifying potential carcinogens
Genotoxic vs non-genotoxic agents
Rodent bioassays
History & evolution
Pathology evaluation of bioassay
Peer review (previous Hardisty
presentation)
Predicting carcinogenic hazard
Using toxicity study data
Carcinogenic agents
Chemical carcinogens
Radiant energy
UV, ionizing radiation
Oncogenic DNA viruses
Papillomavirus
Epstein-Barr virus
Hepatitis B virus
Oncogenic RNA viruses
Human T-cell leukemia virus Type 1
1700’s 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
• Bernardino Ramazzini - 1713
• John Hill - 1761
• Percival Pott - 1775
• Elmslie -1866
• Jonathon Hutchinson - 1888
• Rehn - 1895
• Yamagiwa & Ichikawa - 1918
• Murphy & Sturm - 1925
• Cook et al. - 1932
• Sasaki & Yoshida - 1935
• Berenblum - 1941
• Magee & Barnes - 1956
• Realization that chemicals,
environmental factors, and aspects
of life style cause cancer
• Concept of the cancer bioassay
1700’s 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
NCI NTP
CANCER BIOASSAY TIMELINE
1700’s 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
NCI NTP
FDA
OECD
IARC
EPA
ICH
VICH
EUROTOX
IUTOX
SOT
DST
BTS
STP
BSTP
ASIATOX
ESTPCANCER BIOASSAY TIMELINE
1700’s 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
NCI NTP
CANCER BIOASSAY TIMELINE
50 Male and 50 female F344 rats & B6C3F1 Mice
Maximum tolerated dose & lower doses
Routes: feed, gavage, drinking water,
inhalation, dermal
Test duration of 2 years
Diet: NIH-07 and NTP-2000
Extensive histopathology & peer review
“Current” Testing Paradigm
Positive Aspects of the Bioassay
• Standardized (informative databases)
• Yields positive results for known human
carcinogens
• Trans-species carcinogens
• Identification of important variables &
modulators
• Informative for chronic toxicity
• Appreciation of benefits of historical controls
• Reproducible
• Search for alternatives
Limitations of the Bioassay
• Resource intensive
• Inherent insensitivity for detecting weak or
moderate carcinogens
• Not ideal for determining if an agent has
carcinogenic potential under actual human
exposure conditions
• Single chemical exposure vs “real world”
• Historical inertia
• Debate regarding relevance
–Rodent-specific mechanisms
–High doses
Search for alternatives
1700’s 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
NCI NTP
CANCER BIOASSAY TIMELINE
• A viable alternative needs a champion
• A successful alternative needs to be validated
• An ideal alternative should be less expensive
and faster than the conventional bioassay
Model! Model!
Who’s Got the Model?
• Genotoxicity batteries
• Strain A mouse
• Two-stage liver model
• Neonatal mouse
model
• Ito medium-term
model
• Genetically
engineered mouse
models
• Rat mammary gland
• Local subcutaneous
injection
• Guppy & Medaka
• Hamster cheek pouch
• Structure-activity
relationships & AI
• Genomics &
proteomics
Model! Model! Who’s Got the Model?
Identifying potential carcinogens
Genotoxic vs non-genotoxic agents
Rodent bioassays
History & evolution
Pathology evaluation of bioassay
Peer review (previous Hardisty
presentation)
Predicting carcinogenic hazard
Using toxicity study data
Pathology Evaluation
An iterative process for identification
of subtle differences among groups
of experimental animals
Defining Diagnostic Criteria
• What is hyperplasia versus neoplasia in the broad
context of toxicologic pathology
– There is a range of change
– Diagnoses determined by training, published literature,
and experience
– The greater the experience, the broader the ranges of
non-neoplastic and benign
NORMAL
PATHOLOGICAL HYPERPLASIA
AND PRENEOPLASIA
ADENOMA
CARCINOMA
Personal Diagnostic Judgment
• Inexperienced pathologists
tend to overdiagnose
neoplastic changes
• Thousands of tissues later,
the number of tumors
diagnosed is decreased
• Result of increased
familiarity with spectrum of
hyperplasia and neoplasia
in laboratory animals,
increased confidence
Drift Over Time
• Professional drift – changing criteria for a given
lesion
• Personal drift – Increased familiarity with a given
lesion with greater exposure
Reasons for a Pathology Peer
Review
• Routine peer reviews
• Assure consistency in terminology and grading
• Increase confidence in the study data
• Ensure data meets requirements of regulatory
agencies
• Confirm target tissues/lesions
• Confirm NOEL
• Non-routine peer reviews
• Target tissue reviews
• Pathology Working Groups
Identifying potential carcinogens
Genotoxic vs non-genotoxic agents
Rodent bioassays
History & evolution
Pathology evaluation of bioassay
Peer review (previous Hardisty
presentation)
Predicting carcinogenic hazard
Using toxicity study data
Rodent Liver Toxicity
•Cytomegaly
•Hypertrophy
•Necrosis
•Bile duct hyperplasia
•Hepatocellular degeneration (rats)
•Liver weight
Cytomegaly Hypertrophy
Necrosis Bile duct hyperplasia
Degeneration
Toxicologic Pathology 39: 393-401 (2004)
Summary from Allen et al., 2004
Mouse
• A chemical showing a positive
response for hypertrophy,
cytomegaly and necrosis has a
high likelihood of producing
liver neoplasia
• Failed to identify more than
1/3 of the liver carcinogens
• Inclusion of increased liver
weight increased sensitivity but
decreased specificity of the
prediction
Rat
• No single lesion was a strong
predictor
• Hepatocellular hypertrophy
was the strongest predictor
• Bile duct hyperplasia and
hepatocellular degeneration
did not contribute
• Grouping hypertrophy,
cytomegaly, and necrosis
correctly identified 7 of 11 liver
carcinogens but doubled the
number of false positives
Toxicological Sciences
80: 225-229 (2004)
Toxicological Sciences 2005 88(1):18-23
Prediction of 2-Year Carcinogenicity Study Results for Pharmaceutical Products:
How Are We Doing?
Abigail Jacobs1
Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, USFDA, 9201 Corporate Blvd, Rm N212, Rockville, Maryland 20850
Received May 4, 2005; accepted June 24, 2005
Some have proposed that 2-year carcinogenicity studies may not be necessary if the material is a direct-acting
DNA mutagen,induces liver enzymes, causes hyperplasia or toxicity in particular organs, causes cell proliferation,
is cytotoxic, causes hormonal perturbations, or if one has QSAR analyses or ‘omics information. Safety
pharmacology data, pharmacologic activity, metabolismdata, and results of 13-week dose ranging studies (with
organ weight data, clinical chemistry data, hematologic data, clinical signs and histopathologic findings) were
compared with resultsof 2-year carcinogenicity studies reviewed by the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research
(CDER)/FDA. The experience with the ICH genetic toxicology battery and alternative carcinogenicity models was
also reviewed.
It appears that the information available from short-
term studies is not currently sufficient to accurately
and reliably predict the outcome of long-term
carcinogenicity studies.
SOT Annual Meeting
Salt Lake City, UT
March 9, 2010
Preneoplastic lesions
not predictive
A completely negative
12-month rat toxicity
study  don’t need
to do a carcinogenicity
study
Liver response appears
generically predictive
even for other target tissues
• Core set of mechanistic assays
– DNA adducts, repair & reactivity
– DNA crosslinking
– Genotoxicity
– Receptor-mediated assays
– Microtubule inhibition
– Intercellular communication
– Enzyme induction
– Cell cycle perturbations
– Endocrine disruption
– Altered methylation
– Oxidative stress; free radicals
– Immunosuppression
– Serum biochemistry
– Genomics/proteomics
– Hormone activity
• Abnormal phenotype
• Toxicologic pathology
A
N
C
H
O
R
I
N
G
• Biologically plausible
• Computational/Informatics
– SAR & other alerts
– Artificial intelligence
– Modeling, including PBPK
– Database mining
– Focused epidemiology
C
A
N
C
E
R
The Way Forward
• Search for alternatives
– Multiple inbred strains
– “Humanized” mouse
• Continued “refinement and
improvement” of the
conventional bioassay
– Stop studies
– In utero and neonatal
exposures
• Develop predictive strategies to
minimize the need for long
term in vivo testing
• Embracing each new approach
and each new promising
technology
– Systems biology
– “Omics” and biological
pathways
– Comparative genomics
– Multimodality molecular
and functional imaging
– In situ molecular methods
– New biomarkers
Interpreting Tumor Bioassay Data
Purpose of interpreting bioassay =
detect differences that may be
directly or indirectly related to
exposure to the test agent
Considerations in Interpretation of Bioassay
Data
Neoplasia
• Modifying factors
• Dose relationships
• Trans-sex & trans-species
• Common vs. unique lesions
• Lesion progression
• Species/strain susceptibility
• Controls
• Lumping & Splitting
• Direct vs. indirect causality
• Benign vs. malignant
• Latency
• Multiplicity
• Levels of evidence of carcinogenicity
Non-neoplasia
• Modifying factors
• Dose relationships
• Trans-sex & trans-species
• Common vs. unique lesions
• Lesion progression
• Species/strain susceptibility
• Controls
• Lumping & Splitting
• Direct vs. indirect causality
• Adaptive vs. adverse
• Severity
• MTD, NOEL and NOAEL
Modifying Factors
• Diet & body weight
• Cell proliferation & apoptosis
• Enzyme induction
• Methylation & imprinting
• Oncogenes & tumor suppressor genes
• Hormones
• Intercellular communication
Dose and Dose Relationships
Considerations
• Trans-sex & trans-species
• Common vs. unique lesions
– Common lesions will tend to have a higher background
(spontaneous) incidence
– Unique (rare) lesions typically show marginal increases compared
to control
• Lumping & Splitting
– Relates to how the pathologist categorizes his or her findings
• Direct vs. indirect causality
– Determination if observed effect is secondary to something other
than a direct response to the test agent
Considerations in Interpretation of Bioassay
Data
Neoplasia
• Modifying factors
• Dose relationships
• Trans-sex & trans-species
• Common vs. unique lesions
• Lesion progression
• Species/strain susceptibility
• Controls
• Lumping & Splitting
• Direct vs. indirect causality
• Benign vs. malignant
• Latency
• Multiplicity
• Levels of evidence of carcinogenicity
Non-neoplasia
• Modifying factors
• Dose relationships
• Trans-sex & trans-species
• Common vs. unique lesions
• Lesion progression
• Species/strain susceptibility
• Controls
• Lumping & Splitting
• Direct vs. indirect causality
• Adaptive vs. adverse
• Severity
• MTD, NOEL and NOAEL
Progression of Proliferative Liver Lesions
Basophilic Focus Hepatocellular adenoma
Metastatic carcinoma
Hepatocellular carcinoma
Progression of Proliferative Forestomach Lesions
Considerations
• Species/strain susceptibility
– Gallbladder adenoma/carcinoma
– Hepatoblastoma
– Stellate cell tumor
Hepatoblastoma
Stellate cell tumor
Gallbladder
Adenoma
Lung
Colon
Liver
Skin
1.0
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
Relative Susceptibility of Inbred Mouse Strains to
Chemically Induced Carcinogenesis
Drinkwater & Bennett 1991
Male Mouse Liver Tumors
(Spontaneous Frequency)
King-Herbert & Thayer - 2006
Relative susceptibilities of selected strains to
liver tumor induction
High susceptibility Intermediate
susceptibility
Relatively resistant
C3H C57BR/cdJ BALB/c
CBA FVB C57BL/6
B6C3F1 SM/J C57BL/10
DBA/2 (infant model) P/J 129
Tif:MAGf CE/J DBA/2 (> 5 weeks old)
C3H x CBA LP SWR
CBA x C57BL/10 AKR/J A
C3H x A/J CD-1 IF
DBA/2 x CE/J NMRI RF
LP x 129 A x C57BL/6
LP x DBA/2 C57BL x A
LP x C57BL/10 A x C57BL/10
129 x DBA/2 C57BL/6 x BALB/c
Historical Control Incidences
Considerations
• Neoplasia
• Benign vs. malignant
• Latency
• Multiplicity
Considerations in Interpretation of Bioassay
Data
Neoplasia
• Modifying factors
• Dose relationships
• Trans-sex & trans-species
• Common vs. unique lesions
• Lesion progression
• Species/strain susceptibility
• Controls
• Lumping & Splitting
• Direct vs. indirect causality
• Benign vs. malignant
• Latency
• Multiplicity
• Levels of evidence of carcinogenicity
Non-neoplasia
• Modifying factors
• Dose relationships
• Trans-sex & trans-species
• Common vs. unique lesions
• Lesion progression
• Species/strain susceptibility
• Controls
• Lumping & Splitting
• Direct vs. indirect causality
• Adaptive vs. adverse
• Severity
• MTD, NOEL and NOAEL
NTP Levels of Evidence of Carcinogenicity
• Clear evidence
• Some evidence
• Equivocal evidence
• No evidence - no chemically related increases in
malignant or benign neoplasms
• Inadequate study - because of major limitations,
cannot be interpreted as valid for showing either
the presence or absence of carcinogenic activity
NTP Levels of Evidence of Carcinogenic Activity
• Clear evidence (CE) - a dose related increase in: a) malignant
neoplasms, b) benign and malignant neoplasms, or marked
increase in benign neoplasms with ability to progress
Stomach - benign NE tumor 0 0 13** 9**
Stomach - malignant NE tumor 0 1 12** 26**
Combined 0 1 25** 34**
Methyleugenol - CE in female rats
N = 50
Lung - A/B adenoma 5 9 10 16**
Lung - A/B carcinoma 2 1 5 3
Combined 7 10 15* 19**
Some evidence (SE) - an increase of benign, malignant, or
combined in which the strength of the response is less than
that required for clear evidence.
Ethylbenzene - SE in male mice
NTP Levels of Evidence of Carcinogenic Activity
N = 50
Lung - A/B adenoma 0 0 0 3
Lung - A/B carcinoma 0 1 1 1
Combined 0 1 1 4
• Equivocal evidence (EE) - a marginal increase of neoplasms
that may be chemically related
Molybdenum Trioxide - EE in male rats
NTP Levels of Evidence of Carcinogenic Activity
N = 50
Spectrum of Esophageal Lesions
Normal mucosa
Hyperplasia
Papilloma
Squamous cell carcinoma
Esophageal lesions in a two-year rat carcinogenicity study. Male Sprague-Dawley
rats. Administration of compound by gavage in water. N= 50/dose. The intended
route of human exposure is by oral tablet.
Esophageal lesions in a two-year rat carcinogenicity study. Male Sprague-Dawley
rats. Administration of compound by gavage in water. N= 60/dose. The intended
route of human exposure is by oral tablet.
•Laboratory historic control = 0
•No esophageal neoplasms in the females or in mice (males and females).
•No forestomach tumors in the rats. No oral cavity tumors in rats.
•Compound is irritating.
•Esophageal inflammation in a 28-day and 6-month study at higher doses:
Control 3/10 versus High dose 8/10
Intended human exposure is by coated tablet that dissolves in the stomach.
Evidence of carcinogenic activity (n=290)
Liver 57 %
Lung 22 %
Kidney 22 %
Mammary gland 14 %
Hematopoeitic 13 %
Forestomach 12 %
Thyroid 10 %
Vascular System 9 %
Is There Evidence of Carcinogenicity in the Liver of
Male Mice Treated with 2-Butoxyethanol?
Liver -
Hepatocellular adenoma 22 18 18 17
Liver -
Hepatocellular carcinoma 10 11 16 21**
Liver - combined 30 24 31 30
N = 50
Is There Evidence of Carcinogenicity in the Liver of
Male Mice Treated with 2-Butoxyethanol?
Liver -
Hepatocellular adenoma 22 18 18 17
Liver -
Hepatocellular carcinoma 10 11 16 21**
Liver - combined 30 24 31 30
Historical control range for Hepatocellular carcinoma 14 to 40%
N = 50
What might explain the lack of a clear tumor response
in the high dose group?
Liver tumor response in a 2-year rodent carcinogenicity study
What might explain the lack of a clear tumor response
in the high dose group?
Liver tumor response in a 2-year rodent carcinogenicity study
Liver tumor response in a 2-year rodent carcinogenicity study
There was no decrease in tumor latency or multiplicity.
Survival and body weight gain were similar
among the 4 groups.
What could explain the statistically significant low dose response?
Is this a positive rodent carcinogen?
Liver tumor response in a 2-year rodent carcinogenicity study
There was no decrease in tumor latency or multiplicity.
Survival and body weight gain were similar
among the 4 groups.
What could explain the statistically significant low dose response?
Is this a positive rodent carcinogen?
Other types of liver tumors
Hemangioma/hemangiosarcoma
Histiocytic sarcoma
Kupffer cell sarcoma
Stellate cell tumor
Cholangioma
Cholangiocarcinoma
Hemangiosarcoma
Cholangiocarcinoma Histiocytic sarcoma Stellate cell tumor
Liver tumor response in a 2-year rat carcinogenicity study
N = 50
What diagnostic entities are legitimate to combine?
Would you classify this as a positive carcinogenic response?
Liver tumor response in a 2-year rat carcinogenicity study
What diagnostic entities are legitimate to combine?
Would you classify this as a positive carcinogenic response?
N = 50
Considerations in Interpretation of Bioassay
Data
Neoplasia
• Modifying factors
• Dose relationships
• Trans-sex & trans-species
• Common vs. unique lesions
• Lesion progression
• Species/strain susceptibility
• Controls
• Lumping & Splitting
• Direct vs. indirect causality
• Benign vs. malignant
• Latency
• Multiplicity
• Levels of evidence of carcinogenicity
Non-neoplasia
• Modifying factors
• Dose relationships
• Trans-sex & trans-species
• Common vs. unique lesions
• Lesion progression
• Species/strain susceptibility
• Controls
• Lumping & Splitting
• Direct vs. indirect causality
• Adaptive vs. adverse
• Severity
• MTD, NOEL and NOAEL
Summary
• Purpose of interpreting bioassay = detect
differences that may be directly or indirectly
related to exposure to the test agent
– In rodent studies we are concerned with effects in a group of animals rather
than in individual animals
– Dose relationships are very important
– Responses are compared to the concurrent control and, in instances where
the response is questionable, comparison to historic controls may be
appropriate
– It is sometimes useful to combine certain lesions to better interpret bioassay
results
Case 3 – Malignant Lymphoma in
female B6C3F1 mice
0
ppm
10
ppm
100
ppm
1000
ppm
Incidence
(percentage)
All organs –
malignant lymphoma
3
(6%)
8
(16%)
11*
(22%)
13**
(26%)
Historical control data: mean 15.5%; range 6-32%
50 animals examined per group; *p<0.05; **p<0.01
Case 6 – Uterine tumors in female
Wistar rats
C LD MD HD
Number examined 40 49 50 50
Fibromatous Polyp 7 11 12 10
Multiple Fibrous
Polyps
1 1 0 2
Adenocarcinoma 6 4 5 7
Papilloma 0 0 1 0
Carcinoma in situ 1 0 0 1
Stromal Sarcoma 0 0 0 2
Poorly Diff. Sarcoma 0 0 0 1
Case 2 – Hemangioma
in male B6C3F1 mice
Hemangioma only
0
ppm
10
ppm
100
ppm
1000
ppm
Liver 0 1 0 0
Heart 0 0 1 0
Spleen 0 0 0 0
Subcutis 0 1 0 0
Mesentery 0 0 1 2
All Organs 0 2 2 2
Case 2 – Hemangiosarcoma
in male B6C3F1 mice
Hemangiosarcoma
only
0
ppm
10
ppm
100
ppm
1000
ppm
Liver 2 5 6 8
Heart 0 0 0 0
Spleen 0 2 2 1
Subcutis 1 3 1 7
Mesentery 0 3 13 7
All Organs 3 13 22 23
Case 2 – Hemangioma or Hemangiosarcoma
in male B6C3F1 mice
Hemangioma/HSA
0
ppm
10
ppm
100
ppm
1000
ppm
Liver 2 6 6 8*
Heart 0 0 1 0
Spleen 0 2 2 1
Subcutis 1 4 1 7*
Mesentery 0 3 14** 9**
All Organs 3 15** 24** 25**
50 animals examined per group; *p<0.05; **p<0.01
Case 2 – Male B6C3F1 mice
Historical Control Data
All Sites Rate (%) Range (%)
Hemangioma 0.5 0-4
Hemangiosarcoma 5.4 0-12
Case 2 – Male B6C3F1 mice
Historical Control Data
Rate (%) Range (%)
Liver - Hemangioma 0.2 0-2
Spleen - Hemangioma 0.1 0-2
Subcutis - Hemangioma 0.0 0.0
Liver - Hemangiosarcoma 2.6 0-6
Spleen - Hemangiosarcoma 2.2 0-8
Subcutis - Hemangiosarcoma 0.7 0-4

Histopath of carcinogenesis

  • 1.
    Histopathology of Carcinogenesis R.R. Maronpot maronpot@me.com
  • 2.
    Outline • Overview ofcarcinogenesis • Lexicon of neoplasia (speaking the language) • Basics of carcinogenesis • Identifying & predicting potential carcinogens • Interpreting tumor bioassay data
  • 3.
    Overview of Carcinogenesis •Complex disease with multiple causes • Influenced by multiple intrinsic and extrinsic factors • Multistep progressive process at the genetic and phenotypic level
  • 4.
  • 5.
    Lexicon of Carcinogenesis •Neoplasia (neoplasm, tumor, cancer) • Hyperplasia – Physiological – Pathological • Metaplasia • Anaplasia – Differentiation • Dysplasia
  • 6.
    Neoplasia “….abnormal mass oftissue, the growth of which exceeds and is uncoordinated with that of normal tissue and persists in the same excessive manner after cessation of the stimuli which evoked the change” Willis 1952.
  • 7.
    Hyperplasia = increasein number of cells in an organ or tissue •Increased volume of the organ or tissue •Usually associated with hypertrophy e.g., hormone-induced uterine hyperplasia (increase in number of smooth muscle and epithelial cells and increased size of these cells)
  • 8.
    Two categories ofhyperplasia Physiological hyperplasia Hormonal – mammary gland proliferation at puberty Compensatory – myth of Prometheus Pathological hyperplasia Excessive (potentially reversible) hormonal stimulation Excessive (but controlled) growth factor stimulation
  • 9.
    Two categories ofhyperplasia Physiological hyperplasia Hormonal – mammary gland proliferation at puberty Compensatory – myth of Prometheus
  • 10.
    Two categories ofhyperplasia Physiological hyperplasia Hormonal – mammary gland proliferation at puberty Compensatory – myth of Prometheus
  • 11.
    Pathological hyperplasia Excessive (potentiallyreversible) hormonal stimulation Excessive (but controlled) growth factor stimulation May be associated with concurrent toxicity
  • 12.
    Mechanisms of physiologicalhyperplasia Increased local growth factors and/or receptors Activation of intracellular signaling pathways Transcription factors turn on specific genes Cell cycle genes ~70 other genes
  • 13.
    Proliferation of existingcells and also stem cells Hepatectomy – paracrine stimulation from cytokines & polypeptide growth factors
  • 14.
    Mechanisms of pathologicalhyperplasia Exaggerated response to growth factors and hormonal stimulation Hormone imbalance – excessive androgens & benign prostatic hyperplasia Wound healing – a specific form of hyperplasia where parenchymal cells are replaced by scar tissue Viral infections – papilloma virus-induced growth factors leading to skin warts and mucosal epithelial hyperplasias Chronic hepatitis – stem cells proliferate since the capacity of hepatocytes to proliferate is compromised
  • 15.
    Metaplasia – onemature adult cell type replaced by another mature adult cell type Adaptive process – more sensitive cells replaced by cells less sensitive cells to an adverse environment Frequently – columnar to squamous (epithelial cells) Cigarette smoke Vitamin A deficiency Loss of mucus secretion and mucociliar escalator function Mesenchymal metaplasia – connective tissue  osseous tissue Squamous metaplasia Squamous epithelium Normal columnar epithelium Reserve cells If stimulus persists – malignant transformation of the metaplastic cells can occur
  • 22.
    Mechanisms of metaplasia Differentiationof stem cells along a new pathway Cytokines, growth factors, and extracellular matrix components induce transcription factors that trigger phenotypic-specific genes Vitamin A affects differentiation pathways of stem cells Some cytostatic drugs disrupt DNA methylation with potential to lead to metaplasia 6-Mercaptopurine Methotrexate Dacarbazine Procarbazine Carbopltin
  • 23.
    Differentiation and Anaplasia •Differentiationin neoplasia refers to morphological and functional similarity to normal •Anaplasia is lack of differentiation •Benign tumors are typically well-differentiated •Malignant tumors range from differentiated to anaplastic with at least some loss of differentiation present •Anaplasia is a hallmark of malignancy •Anaplasia = “to form backward” “reverse differentiation” vs. stem cell theory of carcinogenesis
  • 24.
    Morphological aspects ofanaplasia •Pleomorphism = variation in size and shape •Abnormal nuclear morphology •Hyperchromatism •Karyomegaly •Large nucleoli •Mitoses tend to be increased in malignancy •Giant cells and multinucleated cells
  • 25.
    Another example ofmultinucleated giant hepatocytes. Chronic exposure to chlordane in a mouse.
  • 26.
    Dysplasia = disorderedgrowth Primarily an epithelial change Constellation of changes Loss of polarity Loss of uniformity Pleomorphism Nuclear abnormalities Squamous metaplasia Squamous epithelium Normal columnar epithelium Reserve cells Dysplastic epithelium Normal forestomach Forestomach dysplasia If marked and involves the entire thickness of the epithelium but is confined there = carcinoma in situ
  • 27.
  • 28.
  • 29.
  • 30.
  • 31.
  • 33.
  • 34.
  • 36.
    Neoplasia = “….abnormalmass of tissue, the growth of which exceeds and is uncoordinated with that of normal tissue and persists in the same excessive manner after cessation of the stimuli which evoked the change” Willis 1952. Growth Rate Cell production vs cell loss Malignant neoplasms grow faster than benign (oversimplified) Growth rate is not constant Hormones Adequacy of blood supply Other factors Anticancer agents tend to work on fast-growing tumors Cells in proliferative phase If a low percentage (~5%) of the cells are in the proliferative phase = slow-growing tumor that is refractory to treatment Debulking tumor with surgery  surviving cells enter the cell cycle (leave G0) and become susceptible to anticancer agent treatment
  • 37.
    Essential alterations formalignancy Self-sufficient growth (don’t require external stimulation) Ability to synthesize growth factors Insensitive to growth inhibitory signals Evasion of apoptosis Defects in DNA repair Limitless replication – maintain telomere length and function Sustained angiogenesis Ability to invade and metastasize Hepatocellular carcinoma Pulmonary metastases
  • 38.
    Hyperplasia • -plasia =formation • Neoplasia - new formation • Hyperplasia – enhanced formation • Metaplasia – changed formation • Anaplasia – backward formation • Dysplasia – abnormal formation SUMMARY Lexicon Of Carcinogenesis
  • 39.
    Outline • Overview ofcarcinogenesis • Lexicon of neoplasia (speaking the language) • Basics of carcinogenesis • Carcinogenic agents • Identifying & predicting potential human carcinogens • Interpreting actual tumor bioassay data
  • 40.
    Basics of Carcinogenesis •Molecular factors • Morphologic factors • Modulators and modifiers
  • 42.
    From Robbins andCotran Pathologic Basis Of Disease, 7th Edition, 2004.
  • 43.
    From Robbins andCotran Pathologic Basis Of Disease, 7th Edition, 2004.
  • 45.
    Growth Factors • Normaldevelopment – Embryogenesis • Normal cell function – Locomotion, contractility • Regeneration – E.g., hepatectomy • Repair – Wound healing – Scar tissue formation From Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis Of Disease, 7th Edition, 2004.
  • 46.
    Molecular Factors inCarcinogenesis • Non-lethal genetic damage • Alteration of normal regulatory genes – Growth promoting protooncogenes – Growth inhibiting cancer suppressor genes – Genes that regulate programmed cell death (apoptosis) • Alteration of genes that regulate DNA repair • Epigenetic changes (methylation, imprinting) • Multistep cascade of events
  • 47.
    Multiple Roles ofProto-oncogenes • Participate in functions related to cell growth and proliferation • Encode proteins that function as: – Growth factor ligands – Growth factor receptors – Signal transducers – Transcription factors – Cell cycle components
  • 48.
    From Robbins andCotran Pathologic Basis Of Disease, 7th Edition, 2004.
  • 49.
    From Robbins andCotran Pathologic Basis Of Disease, 7th Edition, 2004.
  • 50.
    From Robbins andCotran Pathologic Basis Of Disease, 7th Edition, 2004.
  • 51.
    Proto-oncogene Activation Growth Factor(Proto-oncogene) [Mode of Action] PDGF-β (SIS) [overexpression] FGF (HST-1; INT-2) [overexpression; amplification] TGTFa (TGFα) [overexpression] HGF (HGF) [overexpression] Growth Factor Receptor (Proto-oncogene) [Mode of Action] EGF receptors (ERB-B1; ERB-B2) [overexpression; amplification] CSF-1 receptor (FMS) [point mutation] PDGF receptor (PDGF-R) [overexpression] Receptors for neurotrophic factors (KIT) [point mutation]
  • 52.
    Proto-oncogene Activation Signal Transduction(Proto-oncogene) [Mode of Action] GTP-binding (K-RAS; H-RAS; N-RAS) [point mutation] Nonreceptor tyrosine kinase (ABL) [translocation] RAS signal transduction (BRAF) [point mutation] WNT signal transduction (b-catenin) [point mutation; overexpression] Nuclear Regulatory Proteins (Proto-oncogene) [Mode of Action] Transcriptional activators (C-MYC; N-MYC; L-MYC) [translocation; amplification] Cell Cycle Regulators Cyclins (CYCLIN D) [translocation; amplification] (CYCLIN E) [overexpression] Cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK4) [amplification; point mutation]
  • 53.
    Human and AnimalNeoplasms Associated with Activated Oncogenes
  • 56.
  • 57.
    Basics of Carcinogenesis •Molecular factors • Morphologic factors • Modulators and modifiers
  • 58.
  • 59.
    Thyroid hypertrophy, hyperplasiaand adenoma secondary to liver enzyme induction Normal thyroid Follicular cell hyperplasia and hypertrophy Follicular cell adenoma
  • 60.
    Hepatic Foci ofCellular Alteration Eosinophilic Focus Clear Cell Focus Basophilic Focus Mixed Cell Focus
  • 61.
  • 62.
  • 63.
  • 64.
  • 65.
  • 67.
  • 68.
  • 69.
  • 70.
  • 71.
  • 72.
    Essential alterations formalignancy Self-sufficient growth (don’t require external stimulation) Ability to synthesize growth factors Insensitive to growth inhibitory signals Evasion of apoptosis Defects in DNA repair Limitless replication – maintain telomere length and function Sustained angiogenesis Ability to invade and metastasize
  • 73.
    Progression of ProliferativeLiver Lesions Basophilic Focus Hepatocellular adenoma Metastatic carcinoma Hepatocellular carcinoma
  • 74.
    Progression of ProliferativeForestomach Lesions
  • 75.
    From Robbins andCotran Pathologic Basis Of Disease, 7th Edition, 2004.
  • 76.
    From Robbins andCotran Pathologic Basis Of Disease, 7th Edition, 2004.
  • 77.
    Basics of Carcinogenesis •Molecular factors • Morphologic factors • Modulators and modifiers
  • 79.
    Modifying Factors • Cellproliferation & apoptosis • Enzyme induction • Methylation & imprinting • Oncogenes & tumor suppressor genes • Hormones • Diet & body weight • Intercellular communication
  • 82.
  • 85.
    Outline • Overview ofcarcinogenesis • Lexicon of neoplasia (speaking the language) • Basics of carcinogenesis • Identifying & predicting potential carcinogens • Interpreting tumor bioassay data
  • 86.
    Identifying potential carcinogens Genotoxicvs non-genotoxic agents Rodent bioassays History & evolution Pathology evaluation of bioassay Peer review (previous Hardisty presentation) Predicting carcinogenic hazard Using toxicity study data
  • 87.
    Carcinogenic agents Chemical carcinogens Radiantenergy UV, ionizing radiation Oncogenic DNA viruses Papillomavirus Epstein-Barr virus Hepatitis B virus Oncogenic RNA viruses Human T-cell leukemia virus Type 1
  • 88.
    1700’s 1950 19601970 1980 1990 2000 2010 • Bernardino Ramazzini - 1713 • John Hill - 1761 • Percival Pott - 1775 • Elmslie -1866 • Jonathon Hutchinson - 1888 • Rehn - 1895 • Yamagiwa & Ichikawa - 1918 • Murphy & Sturm - 1925 • Cook et al. - 1932 • Sasaki & Yoshida - 1935 • Berenblum - 1941 • Magee & Barnes - 1956 • Realization that chemicals, environmental factors, and aspects of life style cause cancer • Concept of the cancer bioassay
  • 89.
    1700’s 1950 19601970 1980 1990 2000 2010 NCI NTP CANCER BIOASSAY TIMELINE
  • 93.
    1700’s 1950 19601970 1980 1990 2000 2010 NCI NTP FDA OECD IARC EPA ICH VICH EUROTOX IUTOX SOT DST BTS STP BSTP ASIATOX ESTPCANCER BIOASSAY TIMELINE
  • 94.
    1700’s 1950 19601970 1980 1990 2000 2010 NCI NTP CANCER BIOASSAY TIMELINE 50 Male and 50 female F344 rats & B6C3F1 Mice Maximum tolerated dose & lower doses Routes: feed, gavage, drinking water, inhalation, dermal Test duration of 2 years Diet: NIH-07 and NTP-2000 Extensive histopathology & peer review “Current” Testing Paradigm
  • 95.
    Positive Aspects ofthe Bioassay • Standardized (informative databases) • Yields positive results for known human carcinogens • Trans-species carcinogens • Identification of important variables & modulators • Informative for chronic toxicity • Appreciation of benefits of historical controls • Reproducible • Search for alternatives
  • 96.
    Limitations of theBioassay • Resource intensive • Inherent insensitivity for detecting weak or moderate carcinogens • Not ideal for determining if an agent has carcinogenic potential under actual human exposure conditions • Single chemical exposure vs “real world” • Historical inertia • Debate regarding relevance –Rodent-specific mechanisms –High doses
  • 97.
    Search for alternatives 1700’s1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 NCI NTP CANCER BIOASSAY TIMELINE • A viable alternative needs a champion • A successful alternative needs to be validated • An ideal alternative should be less expensive and faster than the conventional bioassay
  • 98.
  • 99.
    • Genotoxicity batteries •Strain A mouse • Two-stage liver model • Neonatal mouse model • Ito medium-term model • Genetically engineered mouse models • Rat mammary gland • Local subcutaneous injection • Guppy & Medaka • Hamster cheek pouch • Structure-activity relationships & AI • Genomics & proteomics Model! Model! Who’s Got the Model?
  • 100.
    Identifying potential carcinogens Genotoxicvs non-genotoxic agents Rodent bioassays History & evolution Pathology evaluation of bioassay Peer review (previous Hardisty presentation) Predicting carcinogenic hazard Using toxicity study data
  • 101.
    Pathology Evaluation An iterativeprocess for identification of subtle differences among groups of experimental animals
  • 102.
    Defining Diagnostic Criteria •What is hyperplasia versus neoplasia in the broad context of toxicologic pathology – There is a range of change – Diagnoses determined by training, published literature, and experience – The greater the experience, the broader the ranges of non-neoplastic and benign NORMAL PATHOLOGICAL HYPERPLASIA AND PRENEOPLASIA ADENOMA CARCINOMA
  • 103.
    Personal Diagnostic Judgment •Inexperienced pathologists tend to overdiagnose neoplastic changes • Thousands of tissues later, the number of tumors diagnosed is decreased • Result of increased familiarity with spectrum of hyperplasia and neoplasia in laboratory animals, increased confidence
  • 104.
    Drift Over Time •Professional drift – changing criteria for a given lesion • Personal drift – Increased familiarity with a given lesion with greater exposure
  • 105.
    Reasons for aPathology Peer Review • Routine peer reviews • Assure consistency in terminology and grading • Increase confidence in the study data • Ensure data meets requirements of regulatory agencies • Confirm target tissues/lesions • Confirm NOEL • Non-routine peer reviews • Target tissue reviews • Pathology Working Groups
  • 106.
    Identifying potential carcinogens Genotoxicvs non-genotoxic agents Rodent bioassays History & evolution Pathology evaluation of bioassay Peer review (previous Hardisty presentation) Predicting carcinogenic hazard Using toxicity study data
  • 108.
    Rodent Liver Toxicity •Cytomegaly •Hypertrophy •Necrosis •Bileduct hyperplasia •Hepatocellular degeneration (rats) •Liver weight Cytomegaly Hypertrophy Necrosis Bile duct hyperplasia Degeneration Toxicologic Pathology 39: 393-401 (2004)
  • 109.
    Summary from Allenet al., 2004 Mouse • A chemical showing a positive response for hypertrophy, cytomegaly and necrosis has a high likelihood of producing liver neoplasia • Failed to identify more than 1/3 of the liver carcinogens • Inclusion of increased liver weight increased sensitivity but decreased specificity of the prediction Rat • No single lesion was a strong predictor • Hepatocellular hypertrophy was the strongest predictor • Bile duct hyperplasia and hepatocellular degeneration did not contribute • Grouping hypertrophy, cytomegaly, and necrosis correctly identified 7 of 11 liver carcinogens but doubled the number of false positives
  • 110.
  • 111.
    Toxicological Sciences 200588(1):18-23 Prediction of 2-Year Carcinogenicity Study Results for Pharmaceutical Products: How Are We Doing? Abigail Jacobs1 Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, USFDA, 9201 Corporate Blvd, Rm N212, Rockville, Maryland 20850 Received May 4, 2005; accepted June 24, 2005 Some have proposed that 2-year carcinogenicity studies may not be necessary if the material is a direct-acting DNA mutagen,induces liver enzymes, causes hyperplasia or toxicity in particular organs, causes cell proliferation, is cytotoxic, causes hormonal perturbations, or if one has QSAR analyses or ‘omics information. Safety pharmacology data, pharmacologic activity, metabolismdata, and results of 13-week dose ranging studies (with organ weight data, clinical chemistry data, hematologic data, clinical signs and histopathologic findings) were compared with resultsof 2-year carcinogenicity studies reviewed by the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER)/FDA. The experience with the ICH genetic toxicology battery and alternative carcinogenicity models was also reviewed. It appears that the information available from short- term studies is not currently sufficient to accurately and reliably predict the outcome of long-term carcinogenicity studies.
  • 112.
    SOT Annual Meeting SaltLake City, UT March 9, 2010 Preneoplastic lesions not predictive A completely negative 12-month rat toxicity study  don’t need to do a carcinogenicity study Liver response appears generically predictive even for other target tissues
  • 113.
    • Core setof mechanistic assays – DNA adducts, repair & reactivity – DNA crosslinking – Genotoxicity – Receptor-mediated assays – Microtubule inhibition – Intercellular communication – Enzyme induction – Cell cycle perturbations – Endocrine disruption – Altered methylation – Oxidative stress; free radicals – Immunosuppression – Serum biochemistry – Genomics/proteomics – Hormone activity • Abnormal phenotype • Toxicologic pathology A N C H O R I N G • Biologically plausible • Computational/Informatics – SAR & other alerts – Artificial intelligence – Modeling, including PBPK – Database mining – Focused epidemiology C A N C E R
  • 114.
    The Way Forward •Search for alternatives – Multiple inbred strains – “Humanized” mouse • Continued “refinement and improvement” of the conventional bioassay – Stop studies – In utero and neonatal exposures • Develop predictive strategies to minimize the need for long term in vivo testing • Embracing each new approach and each new promising technology – Systems biology – “Omics” and biological pathways – Comparative genomics – Multimodality molecular and functional imaging – In situ molecular methods – New biomarkers
  • 115.
  • 116.
    Purpose of interpretingbioassay = detect differences that may be directly or indirectly related to exposure to the test agent
  • 117.
    Considerations in Interpretationof Bioassay Data Neoplasia • Modifying factors • Dose relationships • Trans-sex & trans-species • Common vs. unique lesions • Lesion progression • Species/strain susceptibility • Controls • Lumping & Splitting • Direct vs. indirect causality • Benign vs. malignant • Latency • Multiplicity • Levels of evidence of carcinogenicity Non-neoplasia • Modifying factors • Dose relationships • Trans-sex & trans-species • Common vs. unique lesions • Lesion progression • Species/strain susceptibility • Controls • Lumping & Splitting • Direct vs. indirect causality • Adaptive vs. adverse • Severity • MTD, NOEL and NOAEL
  • 118.
    Modifying Factors • Diet& body weight • Cell proliferation & apoptosis • Enzyme induction • Methylation & imprinting • Oncogenes & tumor suppressor genes • Hormones • Intercellular communication
  • 119.
    Dose and DoseRelationships
  • 120.
    Considerations • Trans-sex &trans-species • Common vs. unique lesions – Common lesions will tend to have a higher background (spontaneous) incidence – Unique (rare) lesions typically show marginal increases compared to control • Lumping & Splitting – Relates to how the pathologist categorizes his or her findings • Direct vs. indirect causality – Determination if observed effect is secondary to something other than a direct response to the test agent
  • 121.
    Considerations in Interpretationof Bioassay Data Neoplasia • Modifying factors • Dose relationships • Trans-sex & trans-species • Common vs. unique lesions • Lesion progression • Species/strain susceptibility • Controls • Lumping & Splitting • Direct vs. indirect causality • Benign vs. malignant • Latency • Multiplicity • Levels of evidence of carcinogenicity Non-neoplasia • Modifying factors • Dose relationships • Trans-sex & trans-species • Common vs. unique lesions • Lesion progression • Species/strain susceptibility • Controls • Lumping & Splitting • Direct vs. indirect causality • Adaptive vs. adverse • Severity • MTD, NOEL and NOAEL
  • 122.
    Progression of ProliferativeLiver Lesions Basophilic Focus Hepatocellular adenoma Metastatic carcinoma Hepatocellular carcinoma
  • 123.
    Progression of ProliferativeForestomach Lesions
  • 125.
    Considerations • Species/strain susceptibility –Gallbladder adenoma/carcinoma – Hepatoblastoma – Stellate cell tumor Hepatoblastoma Stellate cell tumor Gallbladder Adenoma
  • 126.
    Lung Colon Liver Skin 1.0 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 0 Relative Susceptibility ofInbred Mouse Strains to Chemically Induced Carcinogenesis Drinkwater & Bennett 1991
  • 128.
    Male Mouse LiverTumors (Spontaneous Frequency) King-Herbert & Thayer - 2006
  • 129.
    Relative susceptibilities ofselected strains to liver tumor induction High susceptibility Intermediate susceptibility Relatively resistant C3H C57BR/cdJ BALB/c CBA FVB C57BL/6 B6C3F1 SM/J C57BL/10 DBA/2 (infant model) P/J 129 Tif:MAGf CE/J DBA/2 (> 5 weeks old) C3H x CBA LP SWR CBA x C57BL/10 AKR/J A C3H x A/J CD-1 IF DBA/2 x CE/J NMRI RF LP x 129 A x C57BL/6 LP x DBA/2 C57BL x A LP x C57BL/10 A x C57BL/10 129 x DBA/2 C57BL/6 x BALB/c
  • 130.
  • 131.
    Considerations • Neoplasia • Benignvs. malignant • Latency • Multiplicity
  • 132.
    Considerations in Interpretationof Bioassay Data Neoplasia • Modifying factors • Dose relationships • Trans-sex & trans-species • Common vs. unique lesions • Lesion progression • Species/strain susceptibility • Controls • Lumping & Splitting • Direct vs. indirect causality • Benign vs. malignant • Latency • Multiplicity • Levels of evidence of carcinogenicity Non-neoplasia • Modifying factors • Dose relationships • Trans-sex & trans-species • Common vs. unique lesions • Lesion progression • Species/strain susceptibility • Controls • Lumping & Splitting • Direct vs. indirect causality • Adaptive vs. adverse • Severity • MTD, NOEL and NOAEL
  • 133.
    NTP Levels ofEvidence of Carcinogenicity • Clear evidence • Some evidence • Equivocal evidence • No evidence - no chemically related increases in malignant or benign neoplasms • Inadequate study - because of major limitations, cannot be interpreted as valid for showing either the presence or absence of carcinogenic activity
  • 134.
    NTP Levels ofEvidence of Carcinogenic Activity • Clear evidence (CE) - a dose related increase in: a) malignant neoplasms, b) benign and malignant neoplasms, or marked increase in benign neoplasms with ability to progress Stomach - benign NE tumor 0 0 13** 9** Stomach - malignant NE tumor 0 1 12** 26** Combined 0 1 25** 34** Methyleugenol - CE in female rats N = 50
  • 135.
    Lung - A/Badenoma 5 9 10 16** Lung - A/B carcinoma 2 1 5 3 Combined 7 10 15* 19** Some evidence (SE) - an increase of benign, malignant, or combined in which the strength of the response is less than that required for clear evidence. Ethylbenzene - SE in male mice NTP Levels of Evidence of Carcinogenic Activity N = 50
  • 136.
    Lung - A/Badenoma 0 0 0 3 Lung - A/B carcinoma 0 1 1 1 Combined 0 1 1 4 • Equivocal evidence (EE) - a marginal increase of neoplasms that may be chemically related Molybdenum Trioxide - EE in male rats NTP Levels of Evidence of Carcinogenic Activity N = 50
  • 137.
    Spectrum of EsophagealLesions Normal mucosa Hyperplasia Papilloma Squamous cell carcinoma
  • 138.
    Esophageal lesions ina two-year rat carcinogenicity study. Male Sprague-Dawley rats. Administration of compound by gavage in water. N= 50/dose. The intended route of human exposure is by oral tablet.
  • 139.
    Esophageal lesions ina two-year rat carcinogenicity study. Male Sprague-Dawley rats. Administration of compound by gavage in water. N= 60/dose. The intended route of human exposure is by oral tablet. •Laboratory historic control = 0 •No esophageal neoplasms in the females or in mice (males and females). •No forestomach tumors in the rats. No oral cavity tumors in rats. •Compound is irritating. •Esophageal inflammation in a 28-day and 6-month study at higher doses: Control 3/10 versus High dose 8/10 Intended human exposure is by coated tablet that dissolves in the stomach.
  • 140.
    Evidence of carcinogenicactivity (n=290) Liver 57 % Lung 22 % Kidney 22 % Mammary gland 14 % Hematopoeitic 13 % Forestomach 12 % Thyroid 10 % Vascular System 9 %
  • 141.
    Is There Evidenceof Carcinogenicity in the Liver of Male Mice Treated with 2-Butoxyethanol? Liver - Hepatocellular adenoma 22 18 18 17 Liver - Hepatocellular carcinoma 10 11 16 21** Liver - combined 30 24 31 30 N = 50
  • 142.
    Is There Evidenceof Carcinogenicity in the Liver of Male Mice Treated with 2-Butoxyethanol? Liver - Hepatocellular adenoma 22 18 18 17 Liver - Hepatocellular carcinoma 10 11 16 21** Liver - combined 30 24 31 30 Historical control range for Hepatocellular carcinoma 14 to 40% N = 50
  • 143.
    What might explainthe lack of a clear tumor response in the high dose group? Liver tumor response in a 2-year rodent carcinogenicity study
  • 144.
    What might explainthe lack of a clear tumor response in the high dose group? Liver tumor response in a 2-year rodent carcinogenicity study
  • 145.
    Liver tumor responsein a 2-year rodent carcinogenicity study There was no decrease in tumor latency or multiplicity. Survival and body weight gain were similar among the 4 groups. What could explain the statistically significant low dose response? Is this a positive rodent carcinogen?
  • 146.
    Liver tumor responsein a 2-year rodent carcinogenicity study There was no decrease in tumor latency or multiplicity. Survival and body weight gain were similar among the 4 groups. What could explain the statistically significant low dose response? Is this a positive rodent carcinogen?
  • 147.
    Other types ofliver tumors Hemangioma/hemangiosarcoma Histiocytic sarcoma Kupffer cell sarcoma Stellate cell tumor Cholangioma Cholangiocarcinoma Hemangiosarcoma Cholangiocarcinoma Histiocytic sarcoma Stellate cell tumor
  • 148.
    Liver tumor responsein a 2-year rat carcinogenicity study N = 50 What diagnostic entities are legitimate to combine? Would you classify this as a positive carcinogenic response?
  • 149.
    Liver tumor responsein a 2-year rat carcinogenicity study What diagnostic entities are legitimate to combine? Would you classify this as a positive carcinogenic response? N = 50
  • 150.
    Considerations in Interpretationof Bioassay Data Neoplasia • Modifying factors • Dose relationships • Trans-sex & trans-species • Common vs. unique lesions • Lesion progression • Species/strain susceptibility • Controls • Lumping & Splitting • Direct vs. indirect causality • Benign vs. malignant • Latency • Multiplicity • Levels of evidence of carcinogenicity Non-neoplasia • Modifying factors • Dose relationships • Trans-sex & trans-species • Common vs. unique lesions • Lesion progression • Species/strain susceptibility • Controls • Lumping & Splitting • Direct vs. indirect causality • Adaptive vs. adverse • Severity • MTD, NOEL and NOAEL
  • 151.
    Summary • Purpose ofinterpreting bioassay = detect differences that may be directly or indirectly related to exposure to the test agent – In rodent studies we are concerned with effects in a group of animals rather than in individual animals – Dose relationships are very important – Responses are compared to the concurrent control and, in instances where the response is questionable, comparison to historic controls may be appropriate – It is sometimes useful to combine certain lesions to better interpret bioassay results
  • 153.
    Case 3 –Malignant Lymphoma in female B6C3F1 mice 0 ppm 10 ppm 100 ppm 1000 ppm Incidence (percentage) All organs – malignant lymphoma 3 (6%) 8 (16%) 11* (22%) 13** (26%) Historical control data: mean 15.5%; range 6-32% 50 animals examined per group; *p<0.05; **p<0.01
  • 154.
    Case 6 –Uterine tumors in female Wistar rats C LD MD HD Number examined 40 49 50 50 Fibromatous Polyp 7 11 12 10 Multiple Fibrous Polyps 1 1 0 2 Adenocarcinoma 6 4 5 7 Papilloma 0 0 1 0 Carcinoma in situ 1 0 0 1 Stromal Sarcoma 0 0 0 2 Poorly Diff. Sarcoma 0 0 0 1
  • 155.
    Case 2 –Hemangioma in male B6C3F1 mice Hemangioma only 0 ppm 10 ppm 100 ppm 1000 ppm Liver 0 1 0 0 Heart 0 0 1 0 Spleen 0 0 0 0 Subcutis 0 1 0 0 Mesentery 0 0 1 2 All Organs 0 2 2 2
  • 156.
    Case 2 –Hemangiosarcoma in male B6C3F1 mice Hemangiosarcoma only 0 ppm 10 ppm 100 ppm 1000 ppm Liver 2 5 6 8 Heart 0 0 0 0 Spleen 0 2 2 1 Subcutis 1 3 1 7 Mesentery 0 3 13 7 All Organs 3 13 22 23
  • 157.
    Case 2 –Hemangioma or Hemangiosarcoma in male B6C3F1 mice Hemangioma/HSA 0 ppm 10 ppm 100 ppm 1000 ppm Liver 2 6 6 8* Heart 0 0 1 0 Spleen 0 2 2 1 Subcutis 1 4 1 7* Mesentery 0 3 14** 9** All Organs 3 15** 24** 25** 50 animals examined per group; *p<0.05; **p<0.01
  • 158.
    Case 2 –Male B6C3F1 mice Historical Control Data All Sites Rate (%) Range (%) Hemangioma 0.5 0-4 Hemangiosarcoma 5.4 0-12
  • 159.
    Case 2 –Male B6C3F1 mice Historical Control Data Rate (%) Range (%) Liver - Hemangioma 0.2 0-2 Spleen - Hemangioma 0.1 0-2 Subcutis - Hemangioma 0.0 0.0 Liver - Hemangiosarcoma 2.6 0-6 Spleen - Hemangiosarcoma 2.2 0-8 Subcutis - Hemangiosarcoma 0.7 0-4