TGFB1 and neoplasm: Immune cells, particularly M2 polarized macrophages, play a pivotal role in shaping the tumor stroma by secreting growth factors like fibroblast growth factor, and PDGF-β, and by producing TGF-β, which triggers fibroblast activation and collagen deposition (Dhanasekaran et al., 2016; Llovet et al., 2016).