In a co-culture system, knockdown of HMGCS2 in colon cancer cells enhances endothelial cell proliferation, branching, and tube formation, suggesting that decreased expression of HMGCS2 in cancer cells promotes tumor angiogenesis with tumor-cell secretion of some not yet identified factor(s) which influence the biology of endothelial cells in the tumor microenvironment. This evidence concerns the gene HMGCS2 and malignant colon neoplasm.