Mutation and overexpression are the main activating mechanisms for the ras family of genes in human cancer and the variable tandem repeat (VTR) located at the 3' end of H-ras has been associated with this risk. In the present study, we have analysed the relative levels of expression of H-ras mRNA in 26 samples of squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck (SCCHN) by competitive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (competitive RT-PCR) and also investigated whether there is an association between ras expression and alterations in the 3'-VTR region. In addition, we have studied the incidence of point mutations in codon 12 of H-ras, codons 12 and 13 of K-ras and codon 61 of N-ras in 120 SCCHN samples. Our results indicate that only two samples carry mutations, both of which are located in codon 12 of K-ras, but that overexpression of the H-ras proto-oncogene is a frequent event in SCCHN [54% (14/26)] and is associated with a favourable prognosis: 3 of 14 patients with H-ras overexpression have died, whereas 9 of 12 patients with low levels of H-ras expression have died. We have also undertaken an analysis of these results together with our previous investigations on microsatellite instability and loss of heterozygosity in SCCHN, but no associations were found. We therefore conclude that ras mutations are an infrequent event in the progression of the SCCHN in the Western world, whereas overexpression of the H-ras proto-oncogene is a common event.