HIF1A and neoplasm: As hypovasculature is an outstanding characteristic of pancreatic cancers with high invasiveness and metastatic potential (Raijiman and Levin, 1995) and most pancreatic cancer cells over-express HIF-1α protein (Akakura et al, 2001), we speculate that pancreatic cancer cells may be exposed to severe hypoxia in vivo and that pancreatic cancers express higher levels of metastasis-associated genes in addition to angiogenic factors than well-oxygenated tumour cells do.