STAT3 activation plays an important role in tumor promotion and progression through the induction of various target genes involved in tumor cell survival (e.g., Bcl-2, Survivin, Mcl-1), proliferation (e.g., c-Myc, Cyclin D1, Cyclin B), angiogenesis (e.g., HIF1α, VEGF), metastasis (e.g., MMP2, MMP9), cell adhesion (e.g., ICAM-1, TWIST1), inflammation (e.g., IL-6, IL-17, IL-23, Cox2) and other processes33, 34. Here, MMP9 is linked to neoplasm.