MMP2 and cancer: When applied at the pre-metastatic stage, HET0016 significantly decreased pulmonary metastatic growth through decreasing a survival pathway (p-AKT), inflammation pathway (canonical NFκB signaling), migration pathway (matrix metalloproteinase-2 and -9, MMP2 and 9), and mesenchymal cancer stem cell markers (CD44 and N-cadherin) in the metastatic lung niche [44].