VEGFA and breast cancer: (1) Increases the expression of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) associated genes, including matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) 2 and 9 (in breast cancer), E-cadherin, TWIST (in nasopharyngeal cancer), and cathepsins B. (2) Stimulates angiogenesis and increases tumor growth by regulating the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) (66).