Microangiographic and histological methods were used to characterize vascular structure of primary and transplantable pancreatic adenocarcinomas induced by propylnitrosamines in Syrian golden hamsters. Originally of well-differentiated tubular morphology, serial transplantation subcutaneously to the back region was not associated with change in histopathological pattern or increase in invasive or metastatic potential. In contrast, pancreatic subserosal grafts displayed prominent invasion of surrounding tissues. Whereas primary tumors induced by N-nitrosobis(2-oxopropyl)amine (BOP) and those transplanted subserosally were characterized by hypovascularity, subcutaneous transplantation resulted in hypervascular tumors. Encasement, which is defined as invasion of normal arteries by the tumor, showing uneven caliber, irregular outline, appeared on earlier microangiographic findings rather than luminal irregularity, which is change of tumor vessels in neovascularization and occurs in tumor blood vessels subsequent to transplantation. The vascular component of subcutaneously transplanted tumors had a total vessel length ranging from 9.2 +/- 0.7 mm to 18.1 +/- 1.1 mm, a total vessel surface from 2.5 +/- 0.4 mm2 to 9.3 +/- 0.6 mm2 and a total vessel volume from 0.07 +/- 0.02 mm3 to 0.49 +/- 0.04 mm3, indicating that the vessels were of relatively large diameter and short length.