VEGFA and cancer: Interestingly, miR-29c appears to contribute to a paracrine cross-talk mechanism between cancer-secreted insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2) and VEGF expression in cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), with evidence indicating that higher IGF2 expression in cancer cells combined with increased VEGF expression in CAFs is associated with an unfavorable prognosis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (43).