AREG and neoplasm: Amphiregulin (AREG), a member of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) family, was identified in 1988 by Shoyab et al. AREG was defined for the first time as a bi-functional growth factor for its capacity of inhibiting proliferation in certain tumor cell lines while promoting cell viability of normal cells such as fibroblasts and keratinocytes [97].