Their study proved that the hallmark feature of CXCL12 secreted by cancer-associated fibroblasts is its ability to increase cell proliferation, migration, and invasiveness leading to enhanced matrix metalloproteinase (MMP-2 and MMP-9) production in EC cells through the activation of the PI3K/Akt pathway and the MAPK/Erk pathway [40]. Here, MMP2 is linked to cancer.