TGFB1 and cancer: TGF-β is thought to function as a tumor suppressor at the early stages of tumor development, but with the progression of disease, cancer cells may decouple growth-inhibitory paracrine TGF-β signals by obstructing their TGF-β receptor signaling pathway and rather exploit the immunosilencing capacity of TGF-β to facilitate immune evasion and metastatic dissemination (4, 16).