Let $k$ be a field and $\mathbb{V}$ the affine threefold in $\mathbb{A}^4_k$ defined by $x^m y=F(x, z, t)$, $m \ge 2$. In this paper, we show that $\mathbb{V} \cong \mathbb{A}^3_k$ if and only if $f(z, t): = F(0, z, t)$ is a coordinate of $k[z, t]$. In particular, when $k$ is a field of positive characteristic and $f$ defines a non-trivial line in the affine plane $\mathbb{A}^2_k$ (we shall call such a $\mathbb{V}$ as an Asanuma threefold), then $\mathbb{V}\ncong \mathbb{A}^3_k$ although $\mathbb{V} \times \mathbb{A}^1_k \cong \mathbb{A}^4_k$, thereby providing a family of counter-examples to Zariski’s cancellation conjecture for the affine 3-space in positive characteristic. Our main result also proves a special case of the embedding conjecture of Abhyankar–Sathaye in arbitrary characteristic.

Let A be an affine algebra of dimension n over an algebraically closed field k with 1/n! ∈ k. Let P be a projective A-module of rank n − 1. Then, it is an open question due to N. Mohan Kumar, whether P is cancellative. We prove the following results:

(i) If A = R[T,T−1], then P is cancellative.

(ii) If A = R[T,1/f] or A = R[T,f1/f,…,fr/f], where f(T) is a monic polynomial and f,f1,…,fr is R[T]-regular sequence, then An−1 is cancellative. Further, if k = p, then P is cancellative.