TF and cancer: Recently, HOPX has been demonstrated to be downregulated due to its promoter hypermethylation and acts as a tumour suppressor in several cancers, such as pancreatic carcinoma48, uterine endometrial cancer49, gastric cancer20, colorectal cancer21, 50, 51, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma52 and lung cancer19, implying that HOPX is likely to be a cancer-specific TF.