ECM1 and neoplasm: In gastric cancer, for example, ECM1 can promote ITGB4/GSK3β/SOX2/HIF-1α signaling and associated EMT induction (23), while in breast cancer it has been posited to stabilize β-catenin via MUC1, ultimately contributing to the EMT induction, the reinforcement of cancer stem cell phenotypes and associated tumor metastasis (24).