STAT3 and cancer: Based on the reports, these ERK1/2, PKC, and PDK1 pathways potentiate the activation of HIF-1α, NF-κB, and STAT-3, and these transcription factors are well known to be involved in inflammatory responses to promote cancer development and growth through the transcriptional regulation of various inflammatory genes, such as adhesion molecules, MMPs, and VEGF [24,25,26,27,28,29,30].