Here, we show that such permanently activated proinvasive status of CAF, isolated from head and neck, lung and breast carcinomas, results from the LIF-mediated persistent activation of the JAK1/STAT3 signalling pathway, which regulates acto-myosin contractility and confers on them the proinvasive capacity of digging tracks within the ECM that are subsequently used by the tumour cells to collectively invade9, 15. The gene discussed is STAT3; the disease is breast carcinoma.