In hepatocellular carcinoma, capsaicin has been found to promote apoptosis and autophagy, a different mechanism of cell death; capsaicin has been identified to promote pathways that trigger apoptosis such as caspase-3 activation, signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (STAT3) upregulation, or tNOX inhibition. The gene discussed is STAT3; the disease is hepatocellular carcinoma.