HGF and breast cancer: The pro-metastatic influence of HGF on these cells was further demonstrated, as the breast cancer cells that were cultured in the presence of HGF showed a dramatic increase in the number of cells invaded (BT549: 23.5 ± 6.1, p = 0.001; MDA-MB-231: 65.8 ± 26.2, p = 0.005).