CXCL12 and cancer: Apart from the direct tumor-promoting activities (cancer cell proliferation, survival, and migration), CAFs also mediate angiogenesis, lymphangiogenesis, and tumor-promoting inflammation via secretion of growth factors like vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), fibroblast growth factor (FGF), and soluble chemokines such as CXCL2, CXCL12, CXCL14, interleukin 8 (IL-8), IL-13, stromal derived factor -1 alpha (SDF-1a), and monocyte chemotactic factor 1(MCP-1) [7,56].