It was reported that SPP1 could regulate MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression and promote extracellular matrix degradation via activating αvβ-NF-κB pathway, and thus accelerate the growth, migration and invasion of cancer cells (Fong et al., 2009; Liu et al., 2010; Qin et al., 2018). The gene discussed is NFKB1; the disease is cancer.