CCR2 and hepatocellular carcinoma: The aims of the present study, involving the use of a primary rat HCC model and retrospective cohort studies of patients with HCC, were (1) to investigate the role of the CCL2/CCR2 and CXCLs/CXCR2 axes in HCC tumor growth and progression, (2) to evaluate the effect of targeting the CCL2/CCR2 and CXCLs/CXCR2 axes on TACE-induced antitumor activity, and (3) to investigate the underlying mechanism.