One exception was a study of breast cancer, which mentioned a dramatic decrease in PTPRO during tumor growth due to high methylation in its promoter area.37 We found a relationship between increased serum IL-6 levels and decreased PTPRO expression in monocytes and that sustained upregulation of IL-6 increased c-MYC expression and activation through STAT3 activation. The gene discussed is PTPRO; the disease is breast cancer.