VIM and cancer: As important downstream molecules of PI3K/AKT pathway and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) 2 and 9, Vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1), vimentin and E-cadherin are involved in cancer metastasis (Hiratsuka et al., 2002; Larue and Bellacosa, 2005; Chen and Massague, 2012; Tang et al., 2014).