MMP11 and cancer: We observed that the primary mechanisms related to invasion were attributed to epithelial DEGs involved in the interferon response pathway (ISG15, MX1, OSA1/2/3, IFIT1/6, and BST2), the extracellular matrix remodeling pathway (MMP1, MMP11, COL1A1, COL4A1), and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition pathway (LICAM, S100A4, YAP1), along with several cancer-promoting genes including IGF2, among others.