We hypothesized that STAT3 contributes substantially to the BA‐related oncogenic effect, by inducing transcriptional activation of inflammatory and cancer‐related genes, according to previously established BA‐induced ‘mRNA oncogenic phenotype’,1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 in exposed human hypopharyngeal primary cells (HCs) and preserving cell survival. Here, STAT3 is linked to cancer.