Intriguingly, this inverse association is much more significant between methylation in gene body and SELENBP1 expression (Pearson r = − 0.619, p < 0.001), suggesting that DNA hypermethylation, especially in gene body, is likely to account for the reduction of SELENBP1 expression in bladder cancer. This evidence concerns the gene SELENBP1 and urinary bladder carcinoma.