Because the crosstalk between cancer- and the surrounding stromal-cells is essential to fine tune the invasivity of cancer cells, we analyzed the differences in the immunoreactivity of MMPs (MMP-1, 2, 7, 9, 11, 13, and 14) and TIMPs (TIMP-1, 2, and 3) in the tumor tissue and in the surrounding stromal tissue of the three major immunohistochemical-based molecular subtypes of breast carcinoma. This evidence concerns the gene TIMP1 and cancer.