CXCL12 and cancer: Based on the results in gastric cancer, lung, liver, and ovarian cancers, cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) derived from MSCs, fibroblasts, or epithelial cells also promote EMT and the survival of the CSCs’ stem cell phenotype throughout paracrine actions (IL6, IL1β, and CXCL12 secretion) and via insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R), TGFβ, STAT1, and nuclear factor-κB (NF-kB) pathways [80,81,82,83,84,85].