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Morphological and Biological Characteristics of X-Ray Induced Transplantable Ovarian Tumors^*

Talia Bali, M.D. and Jacob Furth, M.D.

(From Veterans Administration Hospital and Southwestern Medical College, Dallas 2, Texas)

Exposure of ovaries to x-rays causes the development of tumors of different sorts. Five types have been transplanted in series: granulosa tumors, luteomas, tubular adenomas, sarcomas, and angioendotheliomas.

The granulosa tumors occur in such a wide range of morphological forms and simulate so many different types of neoplasms that their identification on a morphological basis alone is often not possible.

Common to all granulosa growths is the ability to produce or initiate production of estrogens and plethorins (a substance that raises blood volume) although not all tumor-bearing hosts show effects of these substances.

Manifestations of estrogen and plethorin stimulations can occur independently, although both are related to activities of granulosa cells.

No evidence was found to indicate that any cell other than a variant of the granulosa cells secretes estrogens.

Well-developed granulosa tumors did not change into luteomas. After a few transplantations each strain had certain morphological features that remained true through numerous subpassages.

All transplantable luteomas studied produced secondary changes indicative of progestin production.

The tubular adenomas are derivatives of the germinal epithelium. Those transplanted were benign and of exceedingly slow growth. In the course of subpassages sooner or later most of them either changed into or were overgrown by granulosa cells.

Male hosts are more susceptible to grafts of tubular adenoma and of granulosa tumors than females. This sex influence does not seem to be due to a gonadal hormone since it is usually magnified by gonadectomy.

Spleen and liver are better soils for granulosa grafts than the subcutaneous tissue; the success of splenic grafts is not necessarily due to inactivation of estrogens in the liver.

In the genesis of these tumors two major forces are postulated; direct and delayed x-ray effect, and a hormonal "imbalance." Both require a more precise analysis to unravel the complex sequence of events initiated by irradiation of ovaries. The exposure to x-rays may last only for seconds but the chain of events which follows covers the entire life span of the animal.

^* This work formerly received support from the National Advisory Cancer Council.

Research Fellow of the University of Istanbul, Turkey.

Published with the permission of the Chief Medical Director, Department of Medicine and Surgery, Veterans Administration, who assumes no responsibility for the opinions expressed or the conclusions drawn by the author.

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