There was one markedly aggressive tumour (20-mm depth of invasion and 11 positive lymph nodes with extracapsular spread) with notably reduced CYGB expression (⩽0.5 × normal) This tumour showed allelic imbalance at two markers close to CYGB on 17q25 (data not shown), thus offering a possible explanation for the reduced CYGB expression independent of promoter methylation. Here, CYGB is linked to neoplasm.