TGFB1 and cancer: Activation of TGF-β leads to EMT in cancer cells via the modulation of metastatic phenotype-determining molecules, such as the reduction in E-cadherin expression and the elevation in vimentin expression, which are principal hallmarks of EMT (Attisano and Wrana, 2002; Massagué et al., 2005; Škovierová et al., 2018).