In the validation cohort (50 preclinical SSc patients), endostatin, basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), and platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase-β subunit (PAF-AHβ), proteins related to angiogenesis and fibrosis processes, were particularly associated with the risk of developing definite SSc [3]. This evidence concerns the gene FGF2 and systemic sclerosis.