Serum Dickkopf-1 changes before and after operation and interventional therapy in patients with primary liver carcinoma

Abstract

Objective To investigate the changes of serum Dickkopf-1 （DKK1） in patients with primary liver carcinoma （PLC） before and after operation and interventional therapy. Methods Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was used to detect the serum DKK1 levels in 60 cases of PLC and 30 cases of normal control subjects. The serum DKK1 levels in 20 cases of stage I PLC pre- and post-opera- tion, and 18 cases of stage 11 PLC pre- and post-interventional therapy were compared. Results Serum DKK1 was correlated with clinical stage of patients with PLC, but not with sex and age. The serum DKK1 levels in patients with stage IU of PLC （ 11.54 ＋ 0. 80 ） μg/L were higher than in those with stage 11 （9.16＋0.73） μg/L, （P〈0.01）, those in stage II （9.16 ±0.73） Ixg/L higher than in stage I （6.24±1.12） μg/L, （P〈0.01）, and those The stage I （6.24 ±1.12） Ixg/L higher than in normal controls （3.14± 0. 84） μg/L. （ P 〈 0.05 ）. The serum DKK1 levels were remarkably reduced in patients with PLC after operation or interventional therapy （ P 〈 0.01 ）. Conclusion These results suggest that the level of DKK1 might play a significant role in the progression of PLC. Key words: Dickkopf-1 ; Carcinoma, hepatocellular; Interventional therapy; Operation