Western blot analysis confirmed that the EGFR-TKIs osimertinib and afatinib inhibited EGFR, AKT, and ERK phosphorylation, while inducing STAT3 activation in EGFR-mutant NSCLC cell lines (Fig. 3D and Supplementary Fig. 2A). This evidence concerns the gene STAT3 and non-small cell lung carcinoma.