This increased expression of SPARC in the epithelial tumor components of metastatic cases did not appear to associate with higher SPARC expression levels in the overall tumor sample, as tumors with low overall levels exhibited high epithelial/stromal SPARC expression ratios and tumors from non-metastatic cases with high overall SPARC expression levels showed low epithelial/stromal SPARC expression ratios (Figure 6b). This evidence concerns the gene SPARC and neoplasm.