The activation of a TGFβ/Smad pathway was reported to lead to an increase in the secretion of periostin in hepatocellular carcinoma CAFs [15], and it was proposed that prolonged abnormal activation of TGFβ in tumor tissues may increase the expression of Smad2/3, resulting in enhanced periostin expression [16,17]. Here, SMAD2 is linked to neoplasm.