“…In addition to its physiological role, SPARC has been linked to cancer progression as many cancer types present increased levels of SPARC expression upon invasion or metastasis (Rempel et al, 1998;Loging et al, 2000;Bradshaw and Sage, 2001;Framson and Sage, 2004). SPARC is highly expressed in a wide range of human malignant neoplasms, and the deregulated expression of SPARC is often correlated with disease progression and/or poor prognosis (Bellahcene and Castronovo, 1995;Porte et al, 1995Porte et al, , 1998Porter et al, 1995;Massi et al, 1999;Yamanaka et al, 2001). It can interact with different ECM proteins like collagens, matrix metalloproteinases and growth factors modulating the cell shape, growth, adhesion and migration.…”