Tumorigenesis begins with the disregulated growth of an abnormal cell that has acquired
the ability to divide more rapidly than its normal counterparts (Nowell, PC (1976) Science,
194, 23–28 [1]). Alterations in global levels and regional changes in the patterns of DNA
methylation are among the earliest and most frequent events known to occur in human
cancers (Feinberg and Vogelstein (1983) Nature, 301, 89–92 ([2]); Gama-Sosa, MA et
al.(1983) Nucleic Acids Res., 11, 6883–6894 ([3]); Jones, PA (1986) Cancer Res., 46, 461 …