To clarify the relevance of GATA3 and GATA5 methylation in RCC, we measured CGI methylation of both genes in normal human primary tubule epithelial cells and in renal tumor cell lines, as well as in renal cancer tissues and a subset of paired adjacent normal tissues, using quantitative methylation-specific PCR (qMSP). This evidence concerns the gene GATA3 and renal cell carcinoma.