STAT3 and cancer: Snail is a well-characterized repressor of E-cadherin, which is required for triggering epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and tumor metastasis.19 In many types of cancers, Snail expression is regulated by Stat3 signaling pathway that plays a key role in many cellular processes, such as cell growth and apoptosis.19 Previous studies proved that the Stat3/Snail signaling pathway is activated in HCC.