ECM deposition became more evident in advanced lesions, with macro-metastases exhibiting levels of collagen I, fibronectin, hyaluronic acid and SPARC comparable to levels present in primary tumours, consistent with a recent study reporting similar levels of myofibroblasts, collagen and hyaluronic acid in human primary pancreatic cancers and large metastases34. Here, SPARC is linked to neoplasm.