This underscores the critical role of the immune system, with macrophages as a central focus, within the purview of cancer immunology and underscores the potential merit in effectuating therapeutic strategies targeted at the PDIA3/p-STAT3/PD-1 nexus as a means to confront colorectal cancer and plausibly other malignancies where similar molecular pathways prevail. Here, PDCD1 is linked to cancer.