We have examined 44 cases of human colonic and rectal carcinomas for structural rearrangement and amplification of c-myc, N-myc, L-myc, c-myb and p53 oncogenes. DNA hybridization showed evidence of c-myc amplification in only one of the samples tested. In addition, the same tumour also showed a rearrangement immediately 3′ to the c-myc locus. No rearrangement could be found at the c-myc locus in the other 43 cases. Moreover, our molecular analysis of N-myc, L-myc, c-myb and p53 genes indicated no relevant alteration of the copy number and/or genomic structure of these nuclear oncogenes. Thus, at least in human colorectal malignancies, it is unlikely that nuclear oncogene structural alterations and/or amplification plays a major role in tumour induction or progression.