They include: (a) the combination treatment significantly led to more HCC cells positively conjugated with Annxin-V, a surface biomarker of apoptosis induction; (b) the combination triggered stronger activation of apoptosis signaling than either single-agent; (c) the combination triggered more pro-apoptotic factor cytochrome c release than either single-agent; and (d) HCC cells could be rescued from the combination-induced death by a caspase-9 inhibitor. Here, CASP9 is linked to hepatocellular carcinoma.