BACKGROUND: Intrinsic and acquired resistance to chemotherapeutic agents is a significant issue in the treatment of patients with hepatocelluar carcinoma (HCC) which attributes to the failure of chemotherapy. However, there is no effective medicine used in the chemotherapy for HCC up to now and thus the exploitation in chemotherapy medicine will still be an important point in the treatment of HCC. Venenum bufonis, which is a traditional medicine in China, has a long history in the treatment of HCC. I...