The ectopic miR-28-5p expression downregulates insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) protein and the expression of miR-28-5p correlates negatively with IGF1 protein level in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells, which indicate that miR-28-5p-IGF1-PI3K/AKT pathway may play an important role in the development of HCC (10). Here, IGF1 is linked to hepatocellular carcinoma.