Moreover, cell death causes the release of TLR9 ligands, such as mitochondrial DNA, and TLR9/NF-kB-induced secretion of IL6-type cytokines, which in turn stimulate STAT3 activity in cancer cells and myeloid cells in the tumor microenvironment to initiate cancer recurrence 19, 26. This evidence concerns the gene NFKB1 and cancer.