IGF1 and hepatocellular carcinoma: In the present study, we aimed to evaluate an hormonal combined therapy of octreotide and TMX based on the following; several data have suggested that the deregulation of the insulin-like growth factor axis (interaction of insulin-growth factor (IGF)-I and -II with the IGF-1R) plays a pivotal role in hepatocarcinogenesis and that the inhibition of the IGF-/IGFR-signalling system could be a valuable and promising approach of HCC treatment; it was suggested that octreotide is able to inhibit this pathway (Ren et al, 1992; Scharf et al, 2001).