We analysed in more detail antiapoptotic effects of insulin and IGF1 in two tumour cell lines, A549 non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and Saos-2/B10 osteoblastic osteosarcoma cells, with a special focus on the latter since they have been found to be critically dependent on insulin-like signals for proliferation and especially survival in vitro. This evidence concerns the gene INS and osteosarcoma.