A number of chemotherapeutic agents such as 5-FU and trastuzumab up-regulate THBS-1, with 1 mol l−1 of 5-FU up-regulating the level of THBS-1 three-fold in KM12C human colon carcinoma cells and two-fold in HUVEC and human colon adenocarcinoma LOVO cells (Zhao et al, 2008). This evidence concerns the gene THBS1 and colon carcinoma.