HGF and cancer: CAFs are a rich source of growth promoting molecules (e.g., HGF, LOXL2, and TENASCIN-C) and proangiogenic factors (e.g., VEGF), hence playing an important role in cancer progression and metastasis [65] by stimulating epithelial mesenchymal transition (e.g., by TWIST1 and SNAIL production), by causing epigenetic changes, and by altering three-dimensional structure of ECM (e.g., by MMP and plasminogen activator protein production) [67, 68].