We observed that transfection of miR-23a inhibitor or exogenous IL-8 stimulation enhanced, whereas transfection of miR-23a mimic or IL-8 knockdown reduced the phosphorylated level and nuclear translocation of Stat3 and its transcriptional activity in NPC cells, indicating that miR-23a inhibited Stat3 activity by targeting IL-8. This evidence concerns the gene STAT3 and nasopharyngeal carcinoma.