The effect of dietary fat concentration and saturation on cell composition and structure of line 168 mouse mammary tumors in vivo was studied using morphometry and electron microscopy. Both the concentration and saturation of fat fed to mice had a significant influence on the volume ratio of mast cells infiltrating line 168 tumors. Tumors of mice fed diets containing a high concentration (20%) of either safflower oil (SO) or palm oil (PO) had 2-3 times the volume ratio of mast cells than mice fed diets containing a low concentration (5%) of either fat. There were no significant differences among diets with respect to other inflammatory cell populations. Mice fed either one of the high fat diets had tumor cells with inclusions that ultrastructurally, appeared to consist of lipid. Dietary fat, however, had no observable affect on cell junctions or other morphological characteristics. Greater infiltration of mast cells in tumors of mice fed high fat diets and the eventual formation of new blood capillaries may explain the decreased latency of tumor onset and enhanced growth of tumors in mice fed diets with high concentrations of fat.