Figure 11A,B showed the upregulated expression of STAT3 in HCC tissue and cell lines. We then chose the specific inhibitor, S31-201, to treat SMMC7721 cells. As shown in Figure 11C,D, S31-201 did not influence the mRNA levels of STAT3, but it could inhibit its phosphorylation. Results also showed that the inhibition of STAT3 phosphorylation could further aggravate the decreased cell growth in EXOSC5 knockdown cells (Figure 11E,F). This evidence concerns the gene EXOSC5 and hepatocellular carcinoma.