['Allelic losses [loss of heterozygosity (LOH)] at the 17p13 locus are frequent (85%) in adrenocortical cancers. The tumor suppressor gene TP53 is located at 17p13. The aim of the study was to determine the frequency of TP53 somatic inactivating mutations in adrenocortical tumors with 17p13 LOH and their clinico-biological correlations.', 'TP53 somatic mutations, intragenic LOH (VNTR1 marker), and p53 overexpression were studied in 36 adrenocortical tumors with 17p13 LOH determined by Southern blot.', 'TP53 mutations were detected in 33% of the tumors, and VNTR1 LOH was present in 44% of the cases and did not always correlate with the presence of a TP53 mutation. Only the TP53-mutant tumors exhibit a strong nuclear immunoreactivity. TP53-mutant tumors were significantly larger than wild-type TP53 tumors (median tumor weight: 640 versus 185 g; P=0.02), were associated with a more advanced stage of tumor progression (MacFarlane stage IV; P=0.01), and had a shorter disease-free survival (P=0.03).'] Are somatic TP53 mutations relatively rare among adrenocortical cancers with the frequent 17p13 loss of heterozygosity?