Other ECM components such as heparan sulfate (Lanzi et al., 2017), hyaluronic acid (a physiological ligand for the cell surface receptor CD44 often found in cancer stem cell niches) (Bourguignon, 2016), soluble factors such as matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) (Candido et al., 2016), tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) (DeClerck, 2000) and various cytokines and growth factors (Holohan et al., 2013), all have been shown to alter drug response and mediate drug resistance in cancer. Here, CD44 is linked to cancer.