Hydroxyl radical damage in metastatic tumor DNA was elucidated in women with breast cancer, and a comparison was made with nonmetastatic tumor DNA. The damage was identified by using statistical models of modified base and Fourier transform-infrared spectral data. The modified base models revealed a greater than 2-fold increase in hydroxyl radical damage in the metastatic tumor DNA compared with the nonmetastatic tumor DNA. The metastatic tumor DNA also exhibited substantially greater base diversity than the nonmetastatic DNA, and a progression of radicalinduced base damage was found to be associated with the growth of metastatic tumors. A three-dimensional plot of principal components from factor analysis, derived from infrared spectral data, also showed that the metastatic tumor DNA was substantially more diverse than the tightly grouped nonmetastatic tumor DNA. These cohesive, independently derived findings suggest that the hydroxyl radical generates DNA phenotypes with various metastatic potentials that likely contribute to the diverse physiological properties and heterogeneity characteristic of metastatic cell populations.

High prevalences of idiopathic hepatic lesions, including neoplasms (e.g., hepatocellular carcinomas, cholangiocellular carcinomas) (27%, 20 of 75 fish) and foci of cellular alteration (putative 'preneoplastic' lesions) (44%, 33 of 75 fish), were found in English sole (Parophrys vetulus) exposed to creosote-contaminated sediments in Eagle Harbor, Puget Sound, WA. Sediments from the contaminated region of the harbor contained particularly high concentrations of aromatic hydrocarbons (e.g., benzo[a]pyrene and benz[a]anthracene), and a variety of nitrogen-containing aromatic compounds (e.g., carbazole and acridine). The composition of the aromatic compounds was characteristic of creosote. Dramatically lower concentrations of aromatic compounds were found in sediments from a reference site in which the bottom-dwelling fish examined were free of detectable neoplastic or 'preneoplastic' hepatic lesions. Food organisms in the stomachs of the English sole from Eagle Harbor contained substantially higher concentrations of aromatic hydrocarbons than comparable organisms from the reference site. The concentrations of individual aromatic hydrocarbons in muscle and liver from the Eagle Harbor fish were low; however, high concentrations of metabolites of aromatic compounds were present in the bile. The findings strongly suggest an association between exposure to creosote and the prevalence of hepatic lesions, including neoplasms, in the bottom-dwelling fish, and furthermore support the putative role of aromatic hydrocarbons in liver carcinogenesis in fish.

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Background. Substantial hydroxyl radical (.OH)‐induced base lesions, recently found in the DNA of invasive ductal carcinoma of the female breast, are likely to be intimately related to oncogenesis. However, virtually no information was available regarding relationships between the different base lesions in the normal and cancerous breast. Such information is essential in understanding initial stages in the development of breast cancer and the potential of the base lesions as early predictors of cancer risk. Methods. The OH‐induced DNA base lesions in normal reduction mammoplasty tissue (RMT) were compared with those from invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) and nearby microscopically normal tissue (MNT). Comparisons were then undertaken on relationships between the base lesion profiles in the normal and cancerous breast using 22 statistical models. Results. DNA from the RMT was characterized by a high ratio of ring‐opening products (e.g., 4,6‐diamino‐5‐formamidopyrimidine) to hydroxy‐adducts of adenine and guanine. A dramatic shift in this relationship in favor of carcinogenic hydroxy‐adducts (e.g., 8‐hydroxyguanine) was found in the cancerous breast. Statistical models with a high sensitivity (91%) and specificity (97%) provided a consistent means of classifying tissues (e.g., 96% correct). Conclusions. The dramatic shift in the DNA base lesion relationships in oncogenesis is attributed to alterations in the redox potential of the breast favoring oxidative conditions and cancer formation. These findings suggest that base lesion profiles are potential sentinels for cancer risk assessment. Further, intervention in controlling the tissue redox potential may provide benefit in delaying or preventing early oncogenic changes and the ultimate manifestation of cancer.