Consistent with previous studies,33, 34, 35 CpG sites near miR‐129‐2 were hypermethylated and down‐regulated in GC, and miR‐149 was hypermethylated and down‐regulated in GC as well as in colorectal and cervical cancer, as previously reported.36, 37 Additionally, the tumor suppressors miR‐34c and miR‐9‐1, silenced by DNA hypermethylation in GC,33, 38 were also hypermethylated and down‐regulated in EpCAM+/CD44+ GC cells. Here, EPCAM is linked to neoplasm.