Skip to main content
PMC home page
Japanese Journal of Cancer Research : Gann logoLink to Japanese Journal of Cancer Research : Gann
. 1989 Nov;80(11):1058–1065. doi: 10.1111/j.1349-7006.1989.tb02259.x

Life‐span Studies on Spontaneous Tumor Development in the Medaka (Oryzias latipes)

Prince Masahito 1, Kazuko Aoki 1,2, Nobuo Egami 3, Takatoshi Ishikawa 1, Haruo Sugano 4
PMCID: PMC5917913  PMID: 2514168

Abstract

A total of 961 medaka, separated chronologically from the first to the fifth year of life, were examined for spontaneous tumor development. While no liver tumors were found in either male or female medaka under the age of 1 year and the incidence in 2‐year‐old fish was relatively low (males 1.9% and females 1.7%), they became more common with advancing age. The incidence was higher in females than in males from 3 to 5 years of age, reaching 7.1% in 5‐year‐old female stock. These liver tumors included a total of 12 adenomas and 9 hepatocellular carcinomas. The hepatocellular carcinomas were histologically well differentiated and were all observed in female medaka. Spontaneous tumors occurring in organs other than the liver were rare and sporadic. Four squamous cell carcinomas, 5 melanomas and 4 lymphosarcomas were observed with no sexual or pronounced age bias being evident. The squamous cell carcinomas developed in the surface epithelium with local invasion into the dermis. Melanomas occurred in the abdominal cavity and demonstrated systemic invasion into various parts of the body. Three out of the 4 lymphosarcomas arose from the inner part of the operculum suggesting that these tumors were of thymic origin. They also showed extensive invasion. The data indicate a particular susceptibility of older female medaka to liver but not other tumor development.

Keywords: Life‐span study, Spontaneous tumors, Medaka, Liver tumors

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (1.4 MB).

REFERENCES

  • 1. ) Briggs , J. C. and Egami , N.The medaka (Oryzias latipes). A commentary and bibliography . J. Fish. Res. Board Can. , 16 , 363 – 380 ( 1959. ). [Google Scholar]
  • 2. ) Yamamoto , T.“Medaka (killifish): Biology and Strains ,” pp. 1 – 365 ( 1975. ). Keigaku Publishing Co. , Tokyo ). [Google Scholar]
  • 3. ) Stanton , M. F.Diethylnitrosamine‐induced hepatic degeneration and neoplasia in the aquarium fish, Brachydanio rerio . J. Natl. Cancer Inst. , 34 , 117 – 130 ( 1965. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 4. ) Sato , S. , Matsushima , T. , Tanaka , N. , Sugimura , T. and Takashima , F.Hepatic tumors in the guppy (Lebistes reticulatus) induced by aflatoxin Bl, dimethylnitrosamine, and 2‐acetylaminofluorene . J. Natl. Cancer Inst. , 50 , 767 – 778 ( 1973. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 5. ) Pliss , G. B. and Khudoley , V. V.Tumor induction by carcinogenic agents in aquarium fish . J. Natl. Cancer Inst. , 55 , 129 – 136 ( 1975. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 6. ) Ishikawa , T. , Shimamine , T. and Takayama , S.Histologic and electron microscopy observations on diethylnitro‐samine‐induced hepatomas in small aquarium fish (Oryzias latipes) . J. Natl. Cancer Inst. , 55 , 909 – 916 ( 1975. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 7. ) Aoki , K. and Matsudaira , H.Induction of hepatic tumors in a teleost (Oryzias latipes) after treatment with methyl‐azoxymethanol acetate . J. Natl. Cancer Inst. , 59 , 1747 – 1749 ( 1977. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 8. ) Kyono , Y. and Egami , N.The effect of temperature during the diethylnitrosamine treatment on liver tumori‐genesis in the fish, Oryzias latipes . Eur. J. Cancer , 13 , 1191 – 1194 ( 1977. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 9. ) Hatanaka , J. , Doke , N. , Harada , T. , Aikawa , T. and Enomoto , M.Usefulness and rapidity of screening for the toxicity and carcinogenicity of chemicals in medaka, Oryzias latipes . Jpn. J. Exp. Med. , 52 , 243 – 253 ( 1982. ). [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 10. ) Hyodo‐Taguchi , Y. and Matsudaira , H.Induction of transplantable melanoma by treatment with N‐methyl‐N‐nitro‐N‐nitrosoguanidine in an inbred strain of the teleost Oryzias latipes . J. Natl. Cancer Inst. , 73 , 1219 – 1227 ( 1984. ). [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 11. ) Klaunig , J. E. , Barut , B. A. and Goldblatt , P. J.Preliminary studies on the usefulness of medaka, Oryzias talipes, embryos in carcinogenicity testing, Natl . Cancer Inst. Monogr. , 65 , 155 – 161 ( 1984. ). [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 12. ) Brittelli , M. R. , Chen , H. H. C. and Muska , C. F.Induction of branchial (gill) neoplasms in the medaka fish (Oryzias latipes) by N‐methyl‐N'‐nitro‐N‐nitrosoguani‐dine . Cancer Res. , 45 , 3209 – 3214 ( 1985. ). [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 13. ) Hawkins , W. E. , Fournie , J. W. , Overstreet , R. M. and Walker , W. W.Intraocular neoplasms induced by methyl‐azoxymethanol acetate in Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) . J. Natl Cancer Inst. , 76 , 453 – 465 ( 1986. ). [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 14. ) Hawkins , W. E. , Overstreet , R. M. and Walker , W. W.Carcinogenicity tests with small fish species . Aquat. Toxicol. , 11 , 113 – 128 ( 1988. ). [Google Scholar]
  • 15. ) Hawkins , W. E. , Walker , W. W. , Overstreet , R. M. , Lytle , J. S. and Lytle , T. F.Effects of some polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons on small fish carcinogenesis models . Transact. Am. Fish. Soc. , in press . [Google Scholar]
  • 16. ) Hawkins , W. E. , Fournie , J. W. , Overstreet , R. M. and Walker , W. W.Rhabdomyosarcoma in the Japanese medaka, Oryzias latipes (Temminck and Schlegel) and guppy, Poecilia reticulata Peters . J. Fish Dis. , 11 , 259 – 266 ( 1988. ). [Google Scholar]
  • 17. ) Torikata , C. , Mukai , M. and Kageyama , K.Spontaneous olfactory neuroepithelioma in a domestic medaka (Oryzias latipes) . Cancer Res. , 49 , 2994 – 2998 ( 1989. ). [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 18. ) Egami , N.Further notes on the life span of the teleost, Oryzias latipes . Exp. Gerontol. , 6 , 379 – 382 ( 1971. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 19. ) Etoh , H. , Hyodo‐Taguchi , Y. , Aoki , K. , Murata , M. and Matsudaira , H.Incidence of chromatoblastomas in aging goldfish (Carassius auratus) . J. Natl. Cancer Inst. , 70 , 523 – 528 ( 1983. ). [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 20. ) Okuda , K. and Mackary , I.“Hepatocellular Carcinoma ,” UICC Tech. Rep. Ser. Vol. 74 , pp. 1 – 204 ( 1982. ). International Union against Cancer; , Geneva ). [Google Scholar]
  • 21. ) Heston , W. E. , Vlahakis , G. and Deringer , M. K.High incidence of spontaneous hepatomas and the increases of this incidence with urethan in C3H, C3H +, and C3He male mice . J. Natl. Cancer Inst. , 24 , 425 – 435 ( 1960. ). [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 22. ) Takashima , F.Hepatoma and cutaneous fibrosarcoma in hatchery‐reared trout and salmon related to gonadal maturation . Prog. Exp. Tumor Res. , 20 , 351 – 366 ( 1976. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 23. ) Ishikawa , T. , Masahito , P. and Takayama , S.Usefulness of the medaka Oryzias latipes, as a test animal: DNA repair processes in medaka exposed to carcinogens . Natl. Cancer Inst. Monogr. , 65 , 35 – 43 ( 1984. ). [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 24. ) Sinnhuber , R. O. , Hendricks , J. D. , Wales , J. H. and Putnam , G. B.Neoplasms in rainbow trout, a sensitive animal model for environmental carcinogenesis . Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. , 298 , 389 – 408 ( 1977. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 25. ) Wellings , S. R.Neoplasia and primitive vertebrate, phylogeny: echinoderms, prevertebrate fishes—a review . Natl. Cancer Inst. Monogr. , 31 , 59 – 128 ( 1969. ). [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 26. ) Mawdesley‐Thomas , L. E.Neoplasia in fish . In“The Pathology of Fishes ,” ed. Ribelin W. E. and Migaki G. , pp. 805 – 870 ( 1975. ). The University of Wisconsin Press; , Madison ). [Google Scholar]
  • 27. ) Harshbarger , J. C. , Charles , A. M. and Spero , P. M.Collection and analysis of neoplasms in sub‐homeothermic animals from a phyletic point of view . In“Phyletic Approaches to Cancer ,” ed. Dawe C. J. , Harshbarger J. C. , Kondo S. , Sugimura T. and Takayama S. , pp. 357 – 384 ( 1981. ). Japanese Scientific Societies Press; , Tokyo ). [Google Scholar]
  • 28. ) Dunbar , C. E.Lymphosarcoma of possible thymic origin in salmonid fishes . Natl. Cancer Inst. Monogr. , 31 , 167 – 171 ( 1969. ). [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 29. ) Herman , R. L.Lymphosarcoma of the thymus of salmonids . In“Comparative Leukemia Research ,” Bibl. Haematol. No. 36 , ed. Dutcher R. M. , pp. 646 ( 1969. ). Karger; , Basel ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 30. ) Meyers , T. R. and Hendricks , J. D.Histopathology of four spontaneous neoplasms in three species of salmonid fishes . J. Fish Dis. , 6 , 481 – 499 ( 1983. ). [Google Scholar]
  • 31. ) Warr , G. W. , Griffin , B. R. , Anderson , D. P. , McAllister , P. E. , Lidgerding , B. and Smith , C. E.A lymphosarcoma of thymic origin in the rainbow trout, Salmo gairdneri Richardson . J. Fish Dis. , 7 , 73 – 82 ( 1984. ). [Google Scholar]
  • 32. ) Masahito , P. , Ishikawa , T. and Sugano , H.Fish tumors and their importance in cancer research . Jpn. J. Cancer Res. , 79 , 545 – 555 ( 1988. ). [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Japanese Journal of Cancer Research : Gann are provided here courtesy of Wiley

RESOURCES