TIMP1 and neoplasm: In addition, recent clinical studies demonstrated a significant association between high tumour tissue levels of TIMP-1 and no objective responses to the most frequently used chemotherapeutic drugs for patients with metastatic breast cancer and colorectal cancer, indicating that TIMP-1 also protects against chemotherapy-induced apoptosis in vivo (Würtz et al, 2005; Sørensen et al, 2006).