As the most significantly hypermethylated gene, HOPX is highly associated with early distant metastasis in NPC.32 The antiangiogenic effect and anti-cancer activity of metalloprotease (MMP)-19 are inhibited in NPC by allelic deletion and promoter hypermethylation.33 As a mitotic checkpoint regulator, promoter hypermethylation of CHFR could cancel the impediment to chromatin condensation.34 Sun et al.35 found aberrant methylation of CDH13 could be detected in 89.7% primary NPC tumors with methylation-specific PCR. The gene discussed is MMP19; the disease is nasopharyngeal carcinoma.