In this study, we found that ITGA1 is essential for lung cancer cells to adhere to Col1 and undergo metastatic dissemination and that ITGA1 and ZEB1 levels are tightly correlated in multiple human cancer types, suggesting that ITGA1-mediated adherence to collagen may be a general effector of EMT in multiple cancer types. This evidence concerns the gene ZEB1 and lung carcinoma.