The Combined Use of Dickkopf-1 and Soluble Axl Improves Hepatocellular Carcinoma Diagnostic Efficacy in Hepatitis C Patients.

Background: Standard tools are not sensitive enough for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) early detection. This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of dickkopf-1 (DKK1) and soluble Axl (sAxl) and their combined for early differentiating of HCC from premalignant benign liver diseases.

Methods: A total of 210 chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients (55 fibrotic, 45 cirrhotic and 110 HCC) were enrolled.