Spitzner, MelanieMelanieSpitznerEbner, ReinhardReinhardEbnerWolff, Hendrik AndreasHendrik AndreasWolffGhadimi, B. MichaelB. MichaelGhadimiWienands, JuergenJuergenWienandsGrade, MarianMarianGrade2018-11-072018-11-072014https://resolver.sub.uni-goettingen.de/purl?gro-2/31743Chemoradiotherapy (CRT) represents a standard treatment for many human cancers, frequently combined with radical surgical resection. However, a considerable percentage of primary cancers are at least partially resistant to CRT, which represents a substantial clinical problem, because it exposes cancer patients to the potential side effects of both irradiation and chemotherapy. It is therefore exceedingly important to determine the molecular characteristics underlying CRT-resistance and to identify novel molecular targets that can be manipulated to re-sensitize resistant tumors to CRT. In this review, we highlight much of the recent evidence suggesting that the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) plays a prominent role in mediating CRT-resistance, and we outline why inhibition of STAT3 holds great promise for future multimodal treatment concepts in oncology.CC BY 4.0https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0review10.3390/cancers604198625268165000209950800006https://resolver.sub.uni-goettingen.de/purl?gs-1/12173