STAT3 and cancer: Hyperactivation of oncogenic STAT3 has been observed in various malignant tumors where it controls cellular signaling regulating proliferation (e.g., cyclin D1), cell survival (e.g., Bcl-xl, Bcl2, survivin, Mcl-1 and c-Myc), but also migration and invasion [e.g., Rho, Rac, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2, MMP-7, and MMP-9], as well as angiogenesis [e.g., VEGF; (32, 33)].