Objectives: 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.
Patients and 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.