STAT1 and neoplasm: We demonstrated that normal fibroblasts restrain the growth of carcinoma cells, at least in part, through the induction of STAT1 signaling in cancer cells and showed that changes in the microenvironment, as they occur in inflammatory bowel disease, alter the crosstalk between carcinoma cells and fibroblasts, perturb the homeostasis of intestinal tissue, and thereby contribute to tumor progression.