Clinical, in vitro and in vivo evidence strongly suggested that upregulation of HK2 in ovarian cancer was correlated with metastasis and poor survival and mediated migration, invasion and stemness via PTK2/MAPK1/3/MMP9/NANOG/SOX9 signaling cascades in vitro and in a nude mouse model 27. This evidence concerns the gene SOX9 and ovarian carcinoma.