VEGFA and neoplasm: Hypoxia-induced VEGF up-regulation may promote the development of metastases from tumour cells trapped in a secondary organ by increasing the permeability of the capillary bed and hence facilitate tumour cell extravasation, enhancing the survival, migration and proliferation of extravasated tumour cells, and stimulating the initial phases of tumour angiogenesis in the secondary organ (Ferrara and Davis-Smyth, 1997; Rofstad and Danielsen, 1999; Li et al, 2000).