STAT3 and neoplasm: JAK/STAT pathway is one of the important downstream routes for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling [44], whereas PI3K is one of the downstream signaling molecules of the EGFR and plays a role in the proliferation or invasion of tumor cells [45, 46], thereby further implicating important correlation between STAT3 and PI3K/Akt signaling cascades.