STAT3 and cancer: Among well-known proteins that are overexpressed by STAT3 activation, Mcl-1, Bcl-2, Bcl-XL, and survivin are anti-apoptotic proteins that play a crucial role in cancer cell survival (186, 187, 189), cyclin D1 and c-Myc enhance proliferation (189), and VEGF promotes angiogenesis, which is required for tumor growth (229).