The p-STAT-3 levels may be increased in the peripheral blood in two ways: (1) a tumor with p-STAT-3 would subsequently induce p-STAT-3 in tumor-associated immune cells, which would then reenter systemic circulation or (2) p-STAT-3 transcriptional induced tumor-secreted products could induce p-STAT-3 in immune cells in the cervical lymph nodes, which then are detected in the peripheral circulation. The gene discussed is STAT3; the disease is neoplasm.