STAT3 and hepatocellular carcinoma: Altered liver tissue hsa-miR-21-5p can cause altered lipid metabolism, inflammation, and fibrosis with activation of the intracellular oncogenic signaling pathways phosphatidylinositol 3 kinases (PI3K) to protein kinase B (PKB:Akt), transforming growth factor beta (TGF-ß) to the signal transducers suppressor of mothers against decapentaplegic 2 (SMAD2) and to the transcription factor signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), leading to HCC initiation [11].