The finding of individuals who are apparently null for HACE1 function is unexpected, because HACE1 has previously been postulated to be a tumour suppressor gene, inactivated in Wilms’ tumour and other cancers.9, 11 Support for this is derived partly from loss of expression and/or epigenetic changes in cancer cells; methylation changes resulting in reduced HACE1 expression have also been associated with colon and gastric cancer.12, 13. This evidence concerns the gene HACE1 and gastric cancer.