VEGFA and carcinoma of esophagus: In addition to stimulating proliferation, migration and tube-formation of endothelial cells (Supplementary Figs 2a–c and 3), the IGF2-activated fibroblasts also promoted tumour malignancy in a multitude of ways such as enhancing the invasion of oesophageal cancer cells (Supplementary Fig. 2d) and migration of bone marrow cells (Fig. 5f) by secreting VEGF.