STAT3 and hepatocellular carcinoma: Previous reports have shown that ERK and STAT3 pathways are important signal pathways that involved in the development of HCC.52, 53 In addition, c‐Myc is an oncogene that participates in the growth of HCC cells.54 Bcl‐xl is found to mediate the survival of HCC cells.55 These results indicate that IL‐34 mediated by HBX may regulate the progress of HCC via multiple signal pathways and associated molecules during HBV infection.