TGFB1 and neoplasm: The role of TGF-β1 in SCC is complex and studies suggest that TGF-β1 has biphasic actions on tumour cells, having an important negative growth effect in the early stages of carcinogenesis, but at later stages enhancing invasion and metastasis through epigenetic mechanisms (Akhurst and Balmain, 1999; Akhurst and Derynck, 2001).