Consistently, the protein levels of TRIM44, p-STAT3, BCL2, MMP9, HIF-1α and PIM1 were all decreased in SPATS2 knockdown tumor tissues, which underpinned the contribution of SPATS2-TRIM44-p-STAT3 axis to tumorigenic events in HCC. Here, BCL2 is linked to hepatocellular carcinoma.