A study by Zheng et al. [83] sheds light on the hyperactivation of the IL-6/STAT3 signaling pathway in HCC cells which could upregulate the tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1), thus prompting the conversion of normal liver fibroblasts (LFs) into carcinoma-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), ultimately driving the initiation of liver cancer [2]. Here, STAT3 is linked to hepatocellular carcinoma.