STAT3 and malignant colon neoplasm: STAT3, regarded as an important regulator of cell cycle progression, proliferation, migration, and cell survival, was markedly elevated in patients with colitis-associated colon cancer (CAC), and STAT3 phosphorylation actively induces the antiapoptotic proteins Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL, which are also correlated with tumor invasion and metastasis in CAC [15].