In order to test the use of an l‐carnitine analog as a potential antimetabolite for the inhibition of HCC tumor growth, we studied the effect of perhexiline, an inhibitor of carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 (CPT1) and to a lesser extent CPT2, on the proliferation of the HepG2 cell line. This evidence concerns the gene CPT2 and neoplasm.