Carotenoids exert a potent anti-cancer capacity in various cancer models in vitro and in vivo, mediated by the modulation of signaling pathways involved in the migration and invasion of cancer cells and metastatic progression, including key regulators of the epithelial–mesenchymal transition and regulatory molecules, such as matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs), urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) and its receptor (uPAR), hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), and others. The gene discussed is PLAU; the disease is cancer.