STAT3 and hepatocellular carcinoma: Previous studies have consistently shown that SHP-1 agonists induce apoptosis via the SHP-1/p-STAT3 signaling axis in various cancer cells including hepatocellular carcinoma cells, breast cancer cells, and colorectal cancer cells (Liu et al. 2017a, 2017c; Chao et al. 2016; Fan et al. 2015).