For promoter-associated CpG islands, a number of them, including those of NTF3, FGF, OSR1, HOXA6, NPY and WT1, have previously been reported as differentially methylated in other cancer types (Mares et al, 2001; Bibikova et al, 2006; Oka et al, 2006; Houshdaran et al, 2007; Illingworth et al, 2008). Here, NPY is linked to cancer.