MMP9 and cancer: It has been shown that accumulation of TANs is correlated with the progression and poor outcome of patients with cancer, especially in HCC, ICC, HNC, NSCLC, and RCC.700 Similar to TAMs, TANs are also classified into N1 anti-tumor and N2 pro-tumor subsets, with neutrophil polarization influencing the role they play in the TME.335 Tumor-associated N2 neutrophils, characterized by high expression of CXCR4, VEGF, and B/MMP9 gelatinase, are known to exert pro-tumoral activities.