DKK1 and hepatocellular carcinoma: There was no significant difference in DKK1 levels between HCC cases (mean 1.76 ng/ml, SD 0.15 ng/ml; median 1.4 ng/ml, IQR 0.9–2.1) and cirrhotics (mean 2.031 ng/ml, SD 0.163 ng/ml; median 1.68 ng/ml, IQR 1.0–2.6), CLD (mean 3.10 ng/ml, SD 0.23 ng/ml; median 2.52 ng/ml, IQR 1.9–3.8) or HC (mean 3.11 ng/ml, SD 0.20 ng/ml; median 2.83 ng/ml, IQR 1.9–3.6) (P = 0.44), suggesting that DKK1 has limited value as a biomarker for HCC diagnosis.