On the contrary, some studies have recently reported that the downregulations of thrombospondin-1 (Yamaguchi et al, 2002) or tenascin-C (Cai et al, 2002), two molecules of extracellular matrix supporting the formation of large arrays of fascin microspikes and ribs at cell margins and in lamellipodia (Adams, 1995; Fischer et al, 1997; Adams and Schwartz, 2000; Anilkumar et al, 2002), are instead associated with poor prognosis and tumour recurrence in patients with NSCLC. Here, THBS1 is linked to neoplasm.