IL6 and cancer: For instance, the oncogenic Ras was shown to transcriptionally upregulate proinflammatory cytokine such as interleukin-8 (IL-8), IL-6, CXCL-1, and CXCL-2, contributing to tumorigenesis-supporting milieu.45 Oncoprotein Src activation also led to the malignant transformation of breast epithelial cell by activation of the IL-6 signaling pathway.46 For HCC, frequent alterations are known to occur in key cancer genes/pathways such as TP53, WNT, and CTNNB1 (encoding β­catenin).