A hypoxic environment, as frequently observed in solid tumours, results in focal areas of tumour cell necrosis and the release of damage associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) and alarmins, a group of endogenous molecules including hyaluronan fragments, S100 molecules and heat shock proteins, amyloid-β, uric acid, IL-1, IL-33 and high-mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1)4. This evidence concerns the gene HMGB1 and neoplasm.