title: Proliferative and non-proliferative lesions of the rat and mouse soft tissue, skeletal muscle and mesothelium.
abstract: The INHAND Project (International Harmonization of Nomenclature and Diagnostic Criteria for Lesions in Rats and Mice) is a joint initiative of the Societies of Toxicologic Pathology from Europe (ESTP), Great Britain (BSTP), Japan (JSTP), and North America (STP) to develop an internationally accepted nomenclature for proliferative and nonproliferative lesions in laboratory animals. The purpose of this publication is to provide a standardized nomenclature for classifying lesions observed in the soft tissues including skeletal muscle as well as the mesothelium of rats and mice. The standardized nomenclature of lesions presented in this document is also available electronically on the Internet (http://www.goreni.org/). Sources of material included histopathology databases from government, academia, and industrial laboratories throughout the world. Content includes spontaneous developmental and aging lesions as well as those induced by exposure to test materials. A widely accepted and utilized international harmonization of nomenclature for lesions in soft tissues, skeletal muscle and mesothelium in laboratory animals will decrease confusion among regulatory and scientific research organizations in different countries and provide a common language to increase and enrich international exchanges of information among toxicologists and pathologists. (DOI: 10.1293/tox.26.1S; J Toxicol Pathol 2013; 26: 1S-26S).
authors.affiliation: University of Leicester, Department of Cancer Studies, Leicester, UK.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Greaves
authors.affiliation: Charles River Laboratories, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Luc
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chouinard
authors.affiliation: Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine ITEM, Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Heinrich
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ernst
authors.affiliation: European Advanced Risk Assessor, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mecklenburg
authors.affiliation: Novartis Pharma AG, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Ingrid M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Pruimboom-Brees
authors.affiliation: Bayer Pharma AG, Wuppertal, Germany.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rinke
authors.affiliation: Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine ITEM, Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rittinghausen
authors.affiliation: Pfizer Inc, California, USA.
authors.forename: Stéphane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Thibault
authors.affiliation: Nycomed: a Takeda Company, Barsbuettel, Germany.
authors.forename: Jasmin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Von Erichsen
authors.affiliation: The Institute of Environmental Toxicology, Ibaraki, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshinori
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yoshida
keywords: mesotheium; mouse pathology; preclinical safety—assessment/risk management; rat pathology; skeletal muscle; ssoft tissues