Aside from its role in ECM degradation, MMP-1 can activate latent molecules to promote downstream prooncogenic signaling pathways-related proteins such as VEGF, EGF, and CXCL-12, which consequently activate metabolic-related transcription factors and pathways involved in cancer, including hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1), MAPK, and extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathways [90, 91]. This evidence concerns the gene MMP1 and cancer.