MMP7 is involved in the injury response of mucosal epithelia and the degradation of extracellular matrix components, and it has been shown to be overexpressed in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and its precursors, PanIN and intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms, with MMP7 alterations evident even in intermediate-grade (Kartsonaki et al., 2022). This evidence concerns the gene MMP7 and pancreatic intraductal papillary-mucinous neoplasm.