Upregulated genes in the stroma were related to cell cycle, cell migration and ECM remodelling, and included numerous soluble and transcription factors linked to cancer (e.g. ADAMTS12, CXCL3, FAP, ITGB4, LAMC2, LIF, MET, RUNX1, SFN, TNFSF9) (Supplementary Table 5). This evidence concerns the gene LIF and cancer.