EGF and cancer: Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), the predominant stromal cell type in many solid tumors, originate from activated fibroblasts influenced by tumor-secreted cytokines such as transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β), epidermal growth factor (EGF), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), and fibroblast growth factor (FGF) 2, and can also derive from mesenchymal stem cells or other cell types via transdifferentiation [56].