Among the subgroups of patients with pT3–4 tumors (HR 1.74; 95% CI 1.13–2.67; p = 0.012; Fig 2A), lymph-node metastases (HR 1.96; 95% CI 1.24–3.09; p = 0.004; Fig 2B), or an intestinal type of cancer (HR 3.54; 95% CI 1.51–8.33; p = 0.004; Fig 2C; Table 3), a high serum MMP-14 served as a prognostic factor. The gene discussed is MMP14; the disease is cancer.