HGF and hepatocellular carcinoma: In a real-world study in Japan, Miyahara et al. measured the serum levels of eight pro-angiogenic cytokines (Ang-2, follistatin (FST), granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), leptin, platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB), platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM-1), and VEGF) in 120 consecutive HCC patients treated with sorafenib.