STAT3 and lung cancer: Additionally, when lung cancer cells were co-cultured with cancer associated fibroblasts, there was an upregulation of phosphorylated-STAT3, OSMRβ, and LIFRβ, coupled with the downregulation of E-cadherin, suggesting an important role for fibroblasts in the activation of OSM signaling and the progression of lung tumors while protecting the cells from targeted therapies in an OSMRβ/JAK1/STAT3 dependent manner (177).