Li X.-M. et al. (2024) found that tumor-derived lactate promotes H3K18 lactylation in TAMs, inhibiting the expression of RARγ, a nuclear receptor that suppresses NF-κB signaling. This mechanism leads to the persistent activation of NF-κB, increasing interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels in the TME and enhancing the tumor-promoting functions of macrophages via STAT3 signaling (Figure 4F) (Li X.-M. et al., 2024). Here, STAT3 is linked to neoplasm.