Moreover, although SLIT2-IT1 expression exhibited a weak negative association with SLIT2 promoter methylation in CML patients (R = − 0.289, P = 0.039, n = 51), cases with SLIT2 promoter hypermethylation had a markedly lower SLIT2-IT1 expression level than those without SLIT2 promoter hypermethylation (P = 0.004, Fig. 4b). This evidence concerns the gene SLIT2 and chronic myelogenous leukemia, BCR-ABL1 positive.