STAT3 and neoplasm: Factors that lead to DC dysfunction, including the inhibition of DC maturation, involve the immune-modulating molecules in the TME, such as IL-6, IL-10 and VEGF, tumor-derived soluble mediators and exosomes, the activation of oncogene STAT3 in DCs, the ER stress response, and the abnormal intracellular lipid accumulation (Cubillos-Ruiz et al., 2015; Tang et al., 2017; DeVito et al., 2019).