This promotes resistance to apoptosis through the ECM adhesion proteins, integrins and CD44/CD44v6, which integrates cellular microenvironmental cues with stromal-secreted growth factors and cytokines including WNT, IL-6, IL17A, SDF-1, HGF, FGF, and TGF-ß leading to the activation of several tumor survival pathways (48). Here, CD44 is linked to neoplasm.