MMP9 and neoplasm: We also observed that MMP9 but not MMP2 was overexpressed in tumor parts (mean dCT of tumor vs. normal tissue: 1.30 vs. 3.43, p < 0.0001; Figure 5C), and that increased MMP9 in early and advanced stages in 60 paired NSCLC tissues was correlated with MIAT (Figure 5D).