Effect of streptozotocin diabetes on development of nitrosamine-induced pancreatic carcinoma when diabetes induction occurs after nitrosamine exposure.

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus has been suggested as a possible risk factor for the development of pancreatic cancer in humans. Previous studies in our laboratory have shown, however, that streptozotocin (STZ) diabetes inhibits the development of cancer of the exocrine pancreas in hamsters when STZ is administered prior to treatment with the pancreatic carcinogen N-nitrosobis(2-oxopropyl)amine (BOP). It has been reported by others that the concurrent administration of BOP and STZ enhances pancreatic carcinogenesis in hamsters. The purpose of the present study was to determine the effect of STZ diabetes on the development of BOP-induced pancreatic carcinoma when STZ is given following exposure to BOP. Groups of Syrian golden hamsters were treated with either BOP only (single s.c. injection, 40 mg/kg body wt at week 0), BOP (single s.c. injection, 40 mg/kg body wt at week 0) plus STZ (50 mg/kg body wt x3 daily i.p. doses at weeks 10, 20 or 30), STZ only (50 mg/kg body wt x3 daily i.p. doses at weeks 10, 20 or 30), or neither BOP nor STZ. The experiment was terminated at 40 weeks after BOP treatment. No significant difference was seen in the incidence of pancreatic cancer between those animals receiving BOP only at week 0 and those receiving BOP at week 0 plus STZ at weeks 10, 20 or 30 of the study. The results would appear to indicate that STZ diabetes, established after BOP tumor initiation, plays no apparent role in the modulation of pancreatic carcinogenesis.