POU5F1 and neoplasm: Furthermore, our previous studies have demonstrated that highly expressed IGF-1R was observed in HBV-HCC tissues and was strongly associated with the early recurrence of tumors; furthermore, activation of IGF-1R signaling reduces the susceptibility of tumor cells to chemotherapies; both these outcomes result from induction of critical pluripotent markers, OCT4 and NANOG, by IGF-1R activation in HBV-HCC [222,223].