In conclusion, hypermethylation of RASSF2 initially occurs in the 5′- and 3′- outskirt regions of the CpG island in non-neoplastic gastric epithelia, spreads near the transcription start site to shut down RASSF2 expression, and ultimately constitutes a field-defect which places tissue at increased risk for the development of gastric cancer. The gene discussed is RASSF2; the disease is gastric cancer.