title: The role of preoperative serum levels for Dickkopf-related protein 1 as a potential marker of tumor invasion in patients with stage II and III colon cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine and correlate preoperative serum levels of CEA and Dickkopf-related protein 1 (DKK-1) in stage II and III colon cancer and so identify the patients at high risk for early relapse.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 100 patients with stage II (n = 50; median age: 53 years, 31 males) and III (n = 50; median age: 57 years, 32 males) colon cancer and 50 controls (median age: 53.9 years, 25 males) were included. Serum levels for CEA and DKK-1 were recorded in each subject.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean (SD) levels for serum CEA and DKK-1 were significantly higher in stage III patients than in stage II patients and controls (p < 0.001 for each). There was a significant correlation between serum levels of CEA and DKK-1 in stage II (r = 0.71, p < 0.001) stage III (r = 0.62, p < 0.001) patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Preoperative serum levels for DKK-1 seem to be a potential marker in prediction of tumor invasion and relapse in stage II-III colon cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Acibadem University School of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey. egurluler@gmail.com.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gurluler
authors.forename: L V
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: Tumay
authors.forename: O S
authors.initials: OS
authors.lastname: Guner
authors.forename: N T
authors.initials: NT
authors.lastname: Kucukmetin
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hizli
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zorluoglu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000097:blood; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009367:Neoplasm Staging
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen; C501126:DKK1 protein, human; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins