Earlier studies have found numerous ageing changes within cancer-related genes and we also find many genes in this category, including previously identified loci in CDKN2A (also with a well-known role in ageing [53]), MGA and ZNF577, and novel changes in ZNF300P1 (Additional file 3: Figure S1g), STEAP1, FOXE1 and PAX1. Four overlapping significant windows comprise the 1.25 kb a-DMR in ZNF577 that completely overlaps its 5′ promoter CpG island (Additional file 3: Figure S1h). This evidence concerns the gene MGA and cancer.