TWIST1 and cancer: In our orthotopic model, we found several genes involved in the organization of the ECM and the TME, such as VCAN, ADAMTS19, PDGFRA, TRIM28, and PCOLCE, among the top 20 upregulated by TWIST1, suggesting a role for TWIST1 in defining a permissive microenvironment contributing to the survival and maintenance of cancer stem-like cells.