AREG and neoplasm: Indeed, our earlier cell work [5] showed that human intestinal epithelial adenocarcinoma cells (Caco-2 and Hutu-80), treated with ferric EDTA or ferric citrate, presented with elevated levels of the growth factor and tumor marker amphiregulin (also referred to as AREG) in addition to one of its receptors, EGFr, followed by activation of the oncogenic MAP kinase pathway by means of downstream phosphorylation of ERK.