MMP2 and metastatic malignant neoplasm in the lymph nodes: A previous investigation evaluating the association between MMP-2 and clinicopathological parameters found that MMP-2 was an indicator of more invasive phenotypes and was related to lymph node metastasis.233 MMP-2 also induces angiogenesis through the regulation of VEGF and the cleavage of ECM molecules (e.g., type IV collagen)234,235 and therefore facilitates angiogenesis in the tumor microenvironment.236 However, previous studies have found that MMP-2 promotes the release of bioactive fragments of ECM, such as endostatin,237 restin,238 and arrestin,239 which inhibits angiogenesis.