Among the systemic melanoma metastasis of stage IV melanoma patients without CNS metastasis (n=151), p-STAT3 expression was 14.7% (SD = 14.6); whereas it was 13.3% (SD = 16.5) in the systemic melanoma metastasis of those patients with CNS metastasis (n=148). The gene discussed is STAT3; the disease is melanoma.