Epigenetic silencing of the BNIP3 promoter appears to be the most common mechanism explaining down-regulation of BNIP3 during malignant progression in lung, colorectal, hematologic, liver, and pancreatic cancers (194–200) although genomic deletion (201) and repression by specific microRNAs (202) has also been reported. This evidence concerns the gene BNIP3 and familial pancreatic carcinoma.