Stem cell carcinoma in the small intestine of mice treated transplacentally with N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea: some quantitative and histological aspects.

A high incidence of tumours of the small intestine occurred in mice of the B10.A/SgSnA strain treated transplacentally with N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU). In these adenocarcinomas, histologically different tumour cells which resembled the 4 cell types of the normal intestinal epithelium were present. Since normal intestinal epithelial cells are thought to originate from common stem cells, the tumours seem to be derived from these stem cells.