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)
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