HGF and hepatocellular carcinoma: This fibrotic microenvironment progressively leads to carcinogenesis through the upregulation of growth factors like epidermal growth factor (EGF), fibroblast growth factor (FGF), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which facilitate the survival and proliferation of HCC cells [10].