The results reported in the current study advance further to include a larger sample size of tumors compared with the studies conducted by Mahon et al. and Okami et al. In addition, the expression of BNIP3 exhibited a positive correlation with the induction of apoptosis and the induction of the apoptotic protein Bax, whereas a negative correlation was noted for the anitapoptotic protein Bcl-2 in the tumor tissues. This evidence concerns the gene BCL2 and neoplasm.