KDM2A has been reported to act as an oncogene in different types of cancer. As such, it has been shown to promote tumourigenesis in lung  and gastric  cancers, and more recently an oncogenic isoform of KDM2A has been identified in breast cancer . However, KDM2A has also been shown to repress rRNA transcription, a process required for cell proliferation ; also, when phosphorylated by ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (ATM), KDM2A helps in DNA damage repair . Interestingly, HIF-1α also has dual roles in cancer, being important for tumourigenesis in cancer such as colon and breast , but acting more as a tumour suppressor in cancers such as renal clear cell cancer .