In a newly established murine model for periodontitis-associated oral tumorigenesis, it was demonstrated that chronic infection induced by P. gingivalis and Fusobacterium nucleatum, together with administration of the oral carcinogen 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide (4NQO), promoted transformation of oral squamous carcinogenic cells and increased signaling along the interleukin-6 (IL-6)-signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) axis [32]. This evidence concerns the gene IL6 and periodontitis.