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Transplantable Thyroid Tumors in the Rat: Development of Normal-appearing Thyroid Follicles in the Differentiated Tumors, and Development of Differentiated Tumors from Iodine-deficient, Thyroxine-involuted Goiters¹

Departments of Internal Medicine and Pathology, University of Michigan School of Medicine, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104

Rats fed an iodine-deficient diet for 18 months developed benign goiters and goiters containing a differentiated tumor.

Implants of benign, iodine-deficient goiters grew large papillary-follicular tumors in thyroidectomized iodine-deficient rats. There were no "takes" of the same implants in the normal rats fed regular diet.

Implants of iodine-deficient goiters containing either a pure papillary or a pure follicular tumor grew large papillary-follicular tumors in thyroidectomized, iodine-deficient rats. The same implants in the normal, regular diet-fed rats grew small differentiated tumors which contained aggregates of normal-appearing thyroid follicles. This observation suggests that the thyroid tumor cell can differentiate to form normal-appearing thyroid follicles.

Rats fed an iodine-deficient diet for 18 months were then given regular diet and daily injections of 5 µg sodium L-thyroxine for 2 months. The goiters were involuted. The implants of these iodine-deficient, thyroxine-involuted goiters in thyroidectomized, iodine-deficient rats grew either large papillary-follicular tumors or small nodules of hyperplastic tissue. The transplants of the benign nodules into thyroidectomized, iodine-deficient rats developed into large papillary-follicular tumors. Involution of iodine-deficient goiter by thyroxine does not prevent the development of transplantable thyroid tumors. Some of these phenomena may be correlated with the pathogenesis of thyroid carcinoma in man.

¹ Supported by funds from the National Cancer Institute, USPHS CA-06381-06.

Received 3/10/69. Accepted 7/ 7/69.