DAPK1 and cancer: Notably, these 3 smoking-associated markers even outperformed a methylation panel of 6 cancer-related genes (p16, MGMT, DAPK, RASSF1A, PAX5- β, and GATA5) assessed in sputum samples collected 3 to 18 months prior to LC diagnosis (sensitivity and specificity of 64%) [36].