VEGFA and cancer: Platelets contribute to cancer progression by releasing cytokines and growth factors such as transforming growth factor β (TGFβ), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), epidermal growth factor (EGF) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), which drive key hallmarks of tumor development, including EMT, angiogenesis, tumor cell migration, and immunosuppression (Takagi et al., 2014; Metelli et al., 2020; Janowska-Wieczorek et al., 2005; Guo et al., 2019; Takemoto et al., 2017; Labelle et al., 2011; Labelle et al., 2014).