Upregulation of the Jenus-activated kinase (JAK)/STAT pathway, especially STAT3 and STAT5, is associated with cell proliferation, angiogenesis, tumor immune evasion, therapy resistance and poor prognosis in HNC.83–86 STAT3 signaling is an immunosuppressive molecule that assists tumor cell immune escape by increasing the production of cytokines, such as TGF-β1, IL-6, IL-10, and VEGF.87 Mutations in the JAK/STAT pathway are rare in head and neck cancer, as reported previously88 (Fig. 2). Here, STAT3 is linked to head and neck cancer.