STAT3 and cancer: GSVA pathway enrichment analysis of six major cell types revealed that tumor epithelial cells were specifically enriched in hallmark pathways related to inflammation (TNF-α/NFκB signaling, IL6/JAK/STAT3 signaling), proliferation (E2F, MYC targets), and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), all closely linked to cancer stemness (Figure 2E).