DNA hypermethylation diagnostic biomarkers for colorectal cancer

A method for identifying colorectal cancer in a patient comprising the steps of:

• a. performing real-time quantitative methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction on DNA obtained from a biological sample from the patient using primers and probes to amplify the following panel of genes ALX3, GJC1, VSX2, NPTX1, BEND4, miR34b and HOMER2, wherein the primers and probes comprise SEQ ID NOS:
• 1-3 (ALX3), SEQ ID NOS:
• 51-53 (GJC1), SEQ ID NOS:
• 45-47 (VSX2), SEQ ID NOS:
• 31-33 (NPTX1), SEQ ID NOS:
• 48-50 (BEND4), SEQ ID NOS:
• 25-27 (miR34b), and SEQ ID NOS:
• 19-21 (HOMER2);
• b. determining a methylation level of each of the genes in the panel;
• c. comparing the methylation level of each of the genes in the panel to a methylation level of each of the genes of the same panel in a control;
• and
• d. identifying the patient as having colorectal cancer when a combined methylation value of the panel of genes from the biological sample is increased relative to a combined methylation value of the panel of genes in the control, or identifying the patient as not having colorectal cancer when a combined methylation value of the panel of genes from the biological sample is not increased relative to a combined methylation value of the panel of genes in the control.