To further confirm the increased expression of STAT3, p-STAT3, IL-6, survivin and VEGF in gastric cancer tissues, we also performed western blotting to determine their levels using anti-STAT3, anti-phosphorylated STAT3 (Tyr705), anti-IL-6, anti-survivin, anti-VEGF antibodies, respectively. Here, STAT3 is linked to gastric cancer.