Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), in addition to their role in ECM remodeling, serve as one of the primary sources of key EMT-inducing growth factors including hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), fibroblast growth factor, interleukin (IL)-6 and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β); however, molecular profiling and ablation of heterogeneous CAF subsets in various tumor models have shown conflicting and context-dependent effects on the efficacy of different therapies[109]. This evidence concerns the gene HGF and cancer.