We noted the prominent activities of stromal activation-relevant signaling like epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) (Zhu et al., 2019), angiogenesis, immune activation-relevant pathways such as graft rejection, complement, IL6-JAK-STAT3 signaling, and inflammatory response, as well as carcinogenic pathways such as Notch signaling and KRAS signaling in high-risk GC patients. This evidence concerns the gene IL6 and gastric cancer.