Phase II studies in breast tumor patients have demonstrated that a continuous subcutaneous infusion of vapreotide, which is commonly used in the treatment of AIDS-related diarrhoea and esophageal variceal bleeding in cirrhotic liver disease patients, can reduce serum levels of growth factors such as prolactin and the insulin like growth factor I (IGF-I), thus encouraging studies combining vapreotide with anti-estrogens, cytotoxic or anti-angiogenic agents [219]. This evidence concerns the gene IGF1 and esophageal varices.