['To identify and characterize novel genetic alterations in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).', 'DNA was extracted from 29 HCC and corresponding normal tissues and amplified with 59 different 10-base arbitrary primers. A 550 bp DNA fragment amplified using primer Q-9 and which was present in 19 of 29 cases (66%) was cloned, sequenced, and compared with known nucleotide sequences deposited in Genome database, and quantified by real-time PCR.', 'DNA alterations were found on chromosomes 5q34, 6p25.2 and 8q12.1 in 11 of 29 cases (38%), 7 of 29 cases (24%), and 12 of 29 cases (41%), respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that the allelic loss on chromosome 5q34 was an independent prognostic factor for poor survival of HCC patients, with the median survival time of 19 weeks for allelic loss versus 109 weeks for no allelic loss (P = 0.001).'] Is allelic loss on chromosome 5q34 associated with poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma?