LCN2 and breast carcinoma: Moreover, certain factors (such as NGAL and MMP-9) can exhibit either pro- or anti-angiogenic effects, depending on the type of cancer [17]; thus, NGAL reduced angiogenesis by blocking VEGF production in a model of advanced pancreatic cancer [29,30] while it increased VEGF levels and promoted angiogenesis in breast cancer [31,32].