Progression of benign lesions to malignant tumours often requires an angiogenic switch [44], understood as a time-restricted event during tumour progression where the balance between pro- (such as vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A)) and anti-angiogenic factors (such as thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1)) tilts towards a pro-angiogenic outcome [45], eventually leading to the formation of new blood vessels [43]. Here, THBS1 is linked to cancer.