HGF and cancer: Evaluation of the stromal expression of syndecan-1 in some tumors has shown that CD138 plays an important role in invasion and progression of cancers, and it is essential to regulate the interaction between the epithelium and stroma of the tumor.20, 21, 22, 23 Syndecan-1 has the ability to bind to various proteins including Hepatocyte Growth Factor (HGF), vascular endothelial growth factor and fibroblast growth factor-2, and thus can potentially affect the growth of cancer cells and tumor progression by stimulating angiogenesis.23