SPARC and acute myeloid leukemia: The secreted-protein-acidic-cysteine-rich (SPARC) encodes the matricellular protein osteonectin that has both intracellular and extracellular functions including regulation of the growth factor families transforming growth factor β (TGFβ), FGF, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF); a recent study described that the overexpression of this protein independently predicted an adverse outcome in patients with normal karyotype AML [34].