Synergistic reduction in cellular viability and increase in apoptosis of melanoma cell lines were obtained by co-treatment with FGFR inhibitors (PD166866 or SU5402) and vemurafenib or the multikinase/RAF inhibitor sorafenib, and were associated with reduced expression of the phosphorylated forms of ERK, Akt and Stat3; furthermore, sorafenib enhances the in vivo antitumor effect of FGF signal blockade with dominant-negative receptor constructs (90). Here, STAT3 is linked to melanoma.