HGF and neoplasm: In the tumor microenvironment, CAFs interact with other cells through direct cell-to-cell contact and by secreting cytokines such as TGFβ1, epidermal growth factor (EGF), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), and interleukin 6 (IL-6) (Herrera et al., 2013; Hawinkels et al., 2014).