PMID: 9446543Jan 31, 1998Paper

Transplacental and transgenerational carcinogenesis

Arkhiv patologii
V S Turusov, L Tomatis

Abstract

Effects of exposure to carcinogens at early stages of ontogenesis are considered. An increased cancer risk due to prenatal exposure may be related to: 1) exposure of the fetus during pregnancy to chemicals able to cross the placental barrier or to radiation; 2) exposure to a chemical or radiation of the parents or one parent prior to conception. In transplacental carcinogenesis, the effects observed after birth are a consequence of a direct interaction of the carcinogen with somatic cells of the fetus. DES and radiation were shown to increase cancer risk in humans following exposure during pregnancy, while in experimental animals a large variety of chemicals of quite different structure (including the widely used therapeutic agent cisplatin) were demonstrated to induce tumors in the progeny after administration during pregnancy. The experimental multigeneration effect of carcinogens is manifested in an increased incidence of tumors in several generations of untreated descendants of: a) females exposed to carcinogen during pregnancy; b) males exposed to carcinogen prior to mating with untreated females. The inherited change may be an initiating event revealed by the exposure during post-natal life to a promoting agent. In humans...Continue Reading

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