The present study demonstrates that the survival rate for patients with intratumoral c-Met-positive tumours is significantly lower than that of patients with intratumoral c-Met-negative tumours, and that the survival rate for patients with tumours with both positive expression of intratumoral c-Met and stromal HGF is significantly lower than that for patients with tumours with either positive expression, or with tumours with both negative expression. Here, HGF is linked to neoplasm.