MMP9 and urinary bladder cancer: However, another study evaluated the effects of DEX on cell proliferation, apoptosis, and invasion in bladder cancer cells lines and found that, although DEX impeded cell invasion and the expression of angiogenesis-related genes (MMP-2/MMP-9, IL-6, and VEGF), as well as induced mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition, it also correlated positively with cell proliferation in mouse xenograft models and resulted in a significant reduction in the curative effects of cisplatin [34].