TGFB1 and neoplasm: TGFβ signaling plays a paradoxical role in breast cancer; in early-stage breast cancer, TGFβ acts as a tumor suppressor by inhibiting cell proliferation and inducing apoptosis, but in advanced stages, TGFβ promotes progression and metastasis partly through induction of EMT (epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition) [34].