In the present experiment the influence of atrophic mucosa and resulting endogenous hypergastrinemia on the induction of gastric cancer by N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) was examined in male Donryu rats. All rats were fed MNNG in tap water for 6 months and were killed after more 5 months. The incidence of gastric cancer was 55% in rats with atrophic gastritis and hypergastrinemia, which is significantly higher than the incidence of 10 % observed in rats treated with MNNG alone. Gastric cancer was not found in any rats with atrophic gastritis without associating with hypergastrinemia. These data suggest that atrophic mucosa and resulting hypergastrinemia are important in development and growth of gastric cancer in rats.