MMP2 and cancer: So far, there is no evidence that links MMP-2 to a special phase of tumor development (in contrast to MMP-9): besides creating a microenvironment in the early phase favoring cancer growth (activation of growth factors), the transition into an undifferentiated phenotype permitting migration and invasiveness is also related to MMP-2 activity, for example, the proteolytic detachment of adhesion molecules like integrins or cadherins or cytoskeleton changes [161, 162].