The carcinogenic effects of N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU) in male Syrian golden hamsters were investigated. After single i.p. administration of MNU at doses of 50 mg/kg or 10 mg/kg, or after five fractionated i.p. injections to make a total dose of 50 mg/kg body weight (10 mg x 5), histopathological examinations were performed at the end of 40th week of the experiment. Neoplastic changes were observed in various organs, and lesions in the pancreas, forestomach, and adrenal gland were predominant. In the pancreas, three tumor types were observed: ductal adenocarcinomas, acinar cell carcinomas, and islet cell carcinomas. The incidences of pancreatic ductal carcinomas were 56, 27, and 0% in the single 50-mg, fractionated 50-mg, and single 10-mg groups, respectively. Two islet carcinomas were observed in the single 50-mg group, and an islet carcinoma and an acinar cell carcinoma were also observed in the fractionated 50-mg group. Several miscellaneous neoplastic lesions, including squamous cell papillomas/carcinomas in the forestomach, cortical adenomas in the adrenal glands, and a seminoma in the testis were also observed. These results indicate MNU to be a multipotent carcinogen with the pancreas as a target organ in the Syrian golden hamster under this experimental condition. The observed high induction rate for pancreatic ductal carcinoma suggests that this MNU protocol is a useful candidate model for experimental pancreatic ductal carcinogenesis.