CXCL12 and hepatocellular carcinoma: In addition, a recent research also demonstrated that the primary matrix stiffness in liver cancer leads to upregulation of LOXL2 secretion in HCC cells, which, in turn, promotes a series of changes in lung metastases and promotes the formation of pre-metastatic niche, including the promotion of secretion of SDF-1 from lung fibroblasts [29].