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Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancer-related causes of death worldwide. In light of the very poor 5-year-survival new therapeutic approaches are urgently needed. Recently, evidence has been accumulated that the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a promising target for cancer therapy. Several reports indicate that EGFRs are expressed frequently in HCC, most likely contributing to the aggressive growth characteristics of these tumors.

Erlotinib, an inhibitor of EGFR-tyrosine kinase, potently suppresses the growth of various tumors, but its effect on HCC remains to be explored. We therefore studied the antineoplastic potency of erlotinib in human HCC cells (Huh-7 and HepG2 cell lines).

We show that erlotinib inhibited HCC growth in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Moreover erlotinib treatment induced apoptosis and resulted …