Werner K. Lutz

• Data supporting various dose-respome relationships in chemical carcinogenesis are summarized. General principles are derived to explain the relationships between exposure dose, JI>NA adduct Ievel, induction of genetic changes, and tumor incidence. Some mechanistic aspects of epigenetic carcinogens (stimulation of ceU division and maldlfl'erentlation) are analyzed in a similar way. In a bomogeneous pnpulation, non-linearities are frequent. They are due to pbenomena of induction or saturation of enzymatic activities and to the multi-step natureData supporting various dose-respome relationships in chemical carcinogenesis are summarized. General principles are derived to explain the relationships between exposure dose, JI>NA adduct Ievel, induction of genetic changes, and tumor incidence. Some mechanistic aspects of epigenetic carcinogens (stimulation of ceU division and maldlfl'erentlation) are analyzed in a similar way. In a bomogeneous pnpulation, non-linearities are frequent. They are due to pbenomena of induction or saturation of enzymatic activities and to the multi-step nature of carcinog~: if a carcinogen acce1erates more than one step, the SUperposition of the dose- response curves for the indJvidual steps can result in an exponential relationship. A fourth power of the dose was the maximum seen in animals (fonnaldehyde). At the lowest dose Ievels, a proportionality between dose and tumor induction is postulated independent of the mechanism of action if the carcinogen aceeierotes the endogenous proass responsible for spootaneous tumor formation. Low-dose thresholds are expected only for situations where the carcinogen acts in a way that has no endogenous counterpart. Epidemiologfcal studies in humans show linear dose- response curves in all but two investigations. The difference from the strongly nonlinear slopes ·seen in animal studies could be due to the heterogeneity of the human population: if the individual sensitivity to a carcinogen is governed by a large number of genetic and Iife-style factors, the non-linea.rities will tend to cancel each other out and the dose- response curve becomes 'quasi-linear'.…