EGFR and cancer: However, the effects on EGFR and AKT signaling have been reported to be involved in cancer cell growth, up-regulating downstream anti-apoptosis signaling, sphere-forming capability, invasive and migratory potentials, and chemoresistance in numerous cancers.[35–39] In this regard, our results clearly verified that dual activation of EGFR following long-term treatment with NNK and arecoline promoted cancer proliferation more robustly than NNK or arecoline treatment alone.