STAT3 and cancer: While STAT3 has been linked to the initiation and progression of various cancers, including pancreatic cancer, its ability to function as a transcription factor for thousands of target genes is known to vary widely among different cell lineages, disease states, or microenvironments.35–38 We reasoned that a more detailed understanding of how PDAC activation of STAT3 in response to stress and inflammation contributes to the malignancy of pancreatic cancer might uncover critical genes that regulate the initiation and progression of this highly aggressive cancer.