VCAM-1 subsequently interacts with integrins αvβ1/5 on gastric cancer cells to facilitate metastasis.290 The inflammatory cytokine IL-17 has been reported to convert quiescent gastric CSCs (CD26− and CXCR4−) into invasive variants through JAK/STAT3 pathway-driven EMT.291. Here, STAT3 is linked to gastric cancer.