VEGFA and neoplasm: One study, which evaluated the role of STAT3 in a xenograft model in nude mice, reported a novel mechanism; namely, STAT3 activated by LPS increases the production of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) by HCC cells, thereby promoting the proliferation of tumours while stimulating the migration of endothelial cells and angiogenesis in HCC (Wang et al., 2019).