MMP26 and cancer: The other highly hypermethylated genes across Stages II and III identified in this study (as shown in Table 3) were AJAP1, HOXB4, MMP26, NMUR2, REG3A, TLX3, etc. and hypomethylated genes were FCRL3, GRIK3, HTR2C, IVL, NKX6-2, etc. Literature validation of these genes with respect to their importance in LUAD and other cancers found NMUR2 to be overexpressed in pancreatic cancer [53], AJAP1 epigenetically silenced in Glioblastoma [54].