TNF and cancer: As mentioned above, osteocytes may encourage an apparently dormant state for metastatic cells via TNF‐α, a theory supported by trends of higher recurrence‐free survival in patients with higher TNF‐α receptor expression in the TCGA.[27] In our working model of this mechanism the invading metastatic cancer cells produce TGF‐β, initially in small quantities, which begins to shut down this anti‐cancer mechanism upon contact with osteocyte TGF‐β receptors.