HMGB1 and cancer: For example, in desmoplasia-resistant prostate cancer, HMGB1 promotes tumor progression by binding to TNFR1 and activating the NF-κB signaling pathway (31), and furthermore, high expression of HMGB1 in rectal cancer is closely associated with cancer progression and metastasis, and its down-regulation significantly inhibits the proliferation of rectal cancer cells and induces their apoptosis (53).