MMP9 and non-small cell lung carcinoma: As reported, overexpression of AEG-1 could promote NSCLC metastasis and invasion and repress apoptosis by activating the PI3K/Akt pathway and enhancing the level of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 [19, 22, 23].