A database of results from the Salmonella, chromosome aberration, and sister chromatid exchange assays has been created using chemicals tested for carcinogenicity by the NCI ad the NTP. This database allows the evaluation of each short-term assay with respect to its ability to predict carcinogenesis or the other short- term assays results. it was shown that no assay can detect all carcinogens. In this database, a positive result in Salmonella is the best predictor of carcinogencity in rodents. In fact, its predictivity is equivalent to the predictivity of rat carcinogenesis from mouse carcinogenesis, and vice versa. No battery of assays composed of the assays mentioned above was superior to Salmonella, alone, for predicting carcinogenicity. Also, none of the assays were complementary to each other. The Salmonella assay differed markedly in its responses to chemicals of different classes; it was relatively insensitive to chlorinated hydrocarbons and phthalate esters, but highly sensitive to nitro and azo compounds. These analyses will lead to an assessment of the ability of short-term genetic toxicity assays to predict rodent carcinogenicity, and to the design of strategies for the deployment of short-term tests.
