However, the successful treatment of HCC with chemotherapeutic agents is often hampered by the multidrug resistance (MDR) of this cancer.6 MDR can be caused by the high expression of adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-binding cassette (ABC) transporter family members, which mediate the ATP-dependent efflux of chemotherapeutic drugs out of cancer cells.7 This evidence concerns the gene ABCG2 and hepatocellular carcinoma.