SOAT1 and neoplasm: As most of the differentially expressed genes were downregulated due to the hypermethylation process, various signaling pathways, such as PI3K-Akt, ERBB2/ERBB3 and JAK-STAT, were altered, leading to, respectively, tumor cell invasion, activation of tumor cell proliferation, cell proliferation and migration mediated by cytokines and growth factors [14,15].