MMP9 and neoplasm: In the present study, no correlation between TIMP-1 levels and the response to preoperative radiochemotherapy was observed, although Sørensen et al. reported that TIMP-1 can be predictive for the response to chemotherapy in colon carcinoma13 and Unsal et al. found that positive MMP-9 expression correlated with poor tumour response in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer undergoing preoperative radiochemotherapy.14