TNF and breast cancer: A significant increase was also detected in components of the Signal transducer and transcription activator (Stat) pathway, including stat3, timp2b, timp4.1, socs3 (Fig. 5C) and Tnf-α receptors tnfrsf1a/b, the human homologs of which have been shown to be a direct transcriptional target of STAT3 in breast cancer cells (Egusquiaguirre et al., 2018).