Loss of heterozygosity on chromosomal arm 16q has been shown to be a frequent event in sporadic breast cancer and is suggested to be involved in cancer development through inactivation of a tumor-suppressor gene. To specify the commonly deleted region in which the unknown tumor-suppressor gene is located, a deletion map of chromosome 16 was constructed for 78 breast cancers, using 27 polymorphic DNA markers. Loss of heterozygosity on chromosome 16q was detected in 38 of the tumors. From the deletion map, the incidence of the loss of heterozygosity was deduced to be > or = 36% in the region distal to 16q12 and was most frequent in the 16q24.2-qter region. Then, association of the loss of heterozygosity in the 16q24.2-qter region with clinicopathological parameters of the tumors was examined for a total of 234 tumors, to reveal its biological significance in breast cancer development. The total incidence of loss of heterozygosity in the 16q24.2-qter region was 52% (118 of 225), and loss of heterozygosity was frequent irrespectively of the presence of invasion and metastasis, differences in clinical stage, tumor size, histological grade, or type, or amounts of estrogen receptor. Inactivation of an unknown tumor-suppressor gene on 16q24.2-qter was thus suggested to be involved commonly in the genesis of sporadic breast cancer, irrespectively of the extent of tumor spread or grade of aggressiveness of the cancer cells. On the other hand, eight cases revealed loss of heterozygosity not at 16q24-qter but in more proximal regions. Therefore, it appears that multiple tumor-suppressor genes are located on chromosome 16q.