Low expression level of Dickkopf 4 in hepatocellular carcinoma and its clinical significance

Purpose: To study the clinical significance of Dickkopf 4 in hepatocellular Carcinoma. Methods: The expression of DKK4 and beta-catenin was analyzed by real-time qPCR and immunohistochemistry. Patient’s prognosis was evaluated through clinical follow-up. Results: DKK4 was expressed at a low level in HCC tissues, while betacatenin was highly expressed (P < 0.05). The expression of beta-catenin and that of DKK4 at the protein level was negatively correlated, with r = -0.4, P = 0.006. The expression of DKK4 in enveloped tumor tissues with a diameter. Results: DKK4 was expressed at a low level in HCC tissues, while beta-catenin was h > 5 cm. The comparison of overall survival time between patients with high levels of DKK4 and those with low levels of DKK4 indicated that the former group had a longer total cumulative postoperative survival time (P = 0.03). Conclusion: The total survival time of patients with high levels of DKK4 was longer than those with the low levels. This suggested that DKK4 might be a tumor suppressor gene that might play a role in the proliferation and metastasis of HCC. And the expression level of DKK4 might be considered as a prognostic indicator for HCC.