The absence of mutations in BNIP3L in breast and ovarian tumours, and the lack of significant downregulation of the gene in either tumour type, suggests that BNIP3L is not the target of 8p LOH in ovarian and breast tumours, despite its location in the SROs of LOH in ovarian cancer (Brown et al, 1999) and breast cancer (Yokota et al, 1999; Seitz et al, 2000). This evidence concerns the gene BNIP3L and ovarian carcinoma.