Background and purpose: Epigenetic alternation, in which methylation principally regulates gene expression in the absence of sequence change, contributes to tumorigenesis. Hypermethylation of the promoters of two putative tumor suppressor genes (endothelin receptor B; EDNRB, and human deleted in liver cancer-1; DLC-l) occurs in several tumors. Methods: Methylation-specific PCR (MS-PCR) was preformed to determine the methylation status of EDNRB and DLC-l in lung cancers. Results: Promoter hypermethylation of the EDNRB gene was lower in stage I lung adenocarcinornas (2 of 21 samples; 9.5%) than in stage I squamous lung cancer (7 of 17 samples; 41.2%), whereas aberrant methylation was higher in stage III lung adenocarcinomas (2 of 10 samples; 20%). Promoter methylation of the DLC-1 gene was found in 23.8% and 41.2% in lung adenocarcinoma and squamous lung cancer, respectively. Conclusion: Methylation of the EDNRB and DLC-1 genes may play an important role in lung carcinogenesis.