TNF and cancer: TNFα promotes tumor progression through different mechanisms, including enhancing EMT, cell survival, and cancer stem cell (CSC) expansion.41 In differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes, TNFα induced FOXC2 expression via PI3K and ERK 1/2 signaling pathways;44 however, there is no evidence to demonstrate that TNFα directly regulates FOXC2 expression in cancer cells.