Nevertheless, the overlapping downstream signaling of leptin and IL-6 (such as Stat3 and mTOR/eIF4E), as well as our findings that hepatic leptin signaling can partially compensate for IL-6Rα deficiency in HCC development, prompts further investigation of intracellular signaling cascades the therapeutic inhibition of which might help to prevent cancer deaths of millions of affected people per year. The gene discussed is IL6R; the disease is hepatocellular carcinoma.