STAT3 and cancer: As well, in a study of 190 cancer patients, 88% with gastrointestinal malignancies, prominent sexual dimorphism was observed in rectus abdominis CT cross-sectional area, mean fiber cross-sectional area, and expression of genes associated with atrophy (FOXO1), muscle growth (AKT1, MSTN, etc.), apoptosis (CASP9), and inflammation (TNF and STAT3) [24].