Abstract: BACKGROUND: Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 ( STAT3 ) is an essential transcription factor that functions through the Janus kinase/STAT signaling pathway, regulating cell proliferation, survival, tumorigenesis, immune surveillance, and inflammatory responses. Although dysregulated STAT3 activity has been implicated in numerous cancers, its specific contribution to non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) remains insufficiently defined. OBJECTIVES: We evaluated STAT3 gene expression and two polymorphisms (rs72823022 T/C and rs744166 A/G) to determined their association with NHL susceptibility in an Iraqi population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This research follows a case–control study design. Hematological parameters, in addition to serum urea and creatinine levels, were assessed in lymphoma patients ( n = 50) and healthy controls ( n = 50). STAT3 mRNA expression was quantified by reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), and STAT3 polymorphisms were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by Sanger sequencing (ABI 3730XL platform). RESULTS: STAT3 expression was upregulated in NHL patients compared to controls (mean fold change = 7.88). Some SNP genotypes showed potential protective effects, whereas others showed a trend toward increased susceptibility; however, these associations were not statistically significant . CONCLUSION: STAT3 expression and its genetic variants may serve as potential biomarkers for the risk assessment and early detection of NHL, providing insights that could guide prognostic evaluation and therapeutic strategies.
AL-SARRAJ et al. (Sat,) studied this question.