In particular, MMP-11 expression in mononuclear inflammatory cells (MICs) has been consistently demonstrated to be a strong predictor of decreased survival in patients with breast cancer (49, 56, 57), whereas there have been conflicting reports on the prognostic value of MMP-11 expression in cancer cells or cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) (52, 54, 56, 57). Here, MMP11 is linked to breast cancer.