To investigate if the pro-inflammatory response is induced by BM macrophage efferocytosis of apoptotic cancer cells and not by apoptotic normal epithelial cells, HIF-1α stabilization, STAT3 phosphorylation, and MIF expression were assessed in BM macrophages co-cultured with apoptotic RM1 prostate cancer cells and compared to BM macrophages co-cultured with apoptotic mPEC normal prostate epithelial cells. This evidence concerns the gene STAT3 and cancer.