HGF and cancer: First, cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) promote therapeutic resistance by secreting a variety of chemokines, metabolites, and growth factors, including interleukin-17A (IL-17A), IL-6, E74-like factor (ELF), fibroblast growth factor 5 (FGF5), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), stanniocalcin 1 (STC1), insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 (IGFBP3), and transforming growth factor-β2 (TGF-β2) [19].