ACTA1 and cancer: CAFs have been shown to undergo an activation due to contact with cancer cells, consisting in their ability to behave as myofibroblasts, contracting collagen fibers through expression of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and secreting several pro-inflammatory and proangiogenic cytokines, such as IL-6, IL-8, VEGF-A, FGF-2 [24, 26].