STUDIES ON THE RELATION BETWEEN TUMOR SUSCEPTIBILITY AND HEREDITY

Abstract

A male mouse from a strain with a high incidence of spontaneous lung tumors was crossed with several females derived from a low tumor strain. The first generation of offspring were then backcrossed to individuals of the original strains. The resulting two groups of offspring differed significantly in the incidence of spontaneous tumors of the lung. These facts are discussed in relation to others previously discovered. It seems clear from the evidence presented that there are among mice constitutional types which differ in incidence of tumors of the lung and that the differences are inherited. The number of genetic factors involved has not been determined. No influence of sex was apparent. The possibility of there being genetic factors which affect tumor age will be dealt with later.