IL6 and cancer: In addition to the complex of IL-6 with the soluble subunit of IL-6R, the membrane-bound common gp130 subunit of IL-6R (CD130) can be activated by other ligand(s) such as ciliary neurotrophic factor and oncostatin M, and activation of the JAK-STAT signaling pathway downstream of IL-6R ligation plays a significant role in the proliferation, survival, invasion and immunosuppressive character of cancers [17–20].