TERT and cancer: Cancer-associated genes that were upregulated via these mechanisms include TERT, CDK4, CD274, ERBB2, IGF2, MDM2, and PDCD1LG2. The authors found melanoma, stomach, sarcoma liver biliary, and kidney cancers to rely on breakpoint for telomerase activation, largely through DNA methylation that juxtaposes the locus to strong enhancer elements.