HGF and neoplasm: Ectopic expression of matriptase by B-cell cancers may contribute to the tumour phenotype through the activation of growth factors, such as hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and macrophage stimulating factor 1 (MSP-1), or down-stream protease systems thought to play a role in tumour progression, such as urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA)1,.4–6