To verify whether YKL-40 and c-Met co-expression could correlate with a partial or lack of response to neoadjuvant treatment, all cases were stratified into three subgroups, according to the expression of YKL-40 and c-Met on tumor biopsy: i: YKL-40-negative/c-Met-negative (13/65 cases, 20%), ii: YKL-40-positive/c-Met-negative or YKL-40-negative/c-Met-positive (20/65 cases, 30%) and iii: YKL-40-positive/c-Met-positive (32/65 cases, 50%) (Fig 5). This evidence concerns the gene CHI3L1 and neoplasm.