HGF and cervical carcinoma: In the cervicovaginal microenvironment of patients with cervical cancer, pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNF-α), apoptosis-related proteins [soluble Fas receptor (sFas), sFas ligand, TRAIL (TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand)], growth and angiogenesis factors [hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), stem cell factor (SCF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)] and others [α-fetoprotein (AFP), osteopontin (OPN)] were elevated, positively correlated with vaginal pH, and negatively with the abundance of Lactobacillus [141].