Tehran University of Medical Sciences International Journal of Hematology-Oncology and Stem Cell Research 2008-2207 13 3 2019 07 10 153 163 EN Abeer Awad Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mansoura University, Mansoura, 35516, Egypt Mohamed Ebrahim Oncology Centre, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, 35516, Egypt Laila Eissa Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mansoura University, Mansoura, 35516, Egypt Mamdouh El-Shishtawy Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mansoura University, Mansoura, 35516, Egypt 2018 11 12 2019 03 11 Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly fatal tumor which represents a major health problem worldwide. Due to asymptomatic nature of HCC, most patients present with the progressive stage of the disease, so, unfortunately, there are no effective therapies. Existing techniques for HCC surveillance and diagnosis lack the required accuracy. Therefore, searching for new diagnostic and/or therapeutic tools could improve patient survival. This study aimed to estimate the diagnostic role of Dickkopf-1 (DKK1) and amphiregulin (AREG) and to find out their correlation with different clinicopathological parameters in HCC patients. Materials and Methods: Serum levels of DKK1 and AREG in 55 HCC patients, 20 cirrhotic patients, and 15 healthy subjects as control group were measured using the ELISA technique. Results: Both of DKK1 and AREG showed a significant increase in the HCC group compared to cirrhotic and healthy groups. DKK1 at a cutoff point of 8.92 ng/ml showed that the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.826 with 87.3% sensitivity and 82.9% specificity. DKK1 showed a significant correlation with tumor size, liver dysfunction, and poor performance status in HCC patients. AREG at a cutoff point of 8.74 pg/ml showed a sensitivity of 74.5% but low specificity (47.1%). AREG showed a significant correlation with portal vein thrombosis and tumor metastasis in HCC patients. Conclusion: Serum DKK1 could be a diagnostic biomarker for HCC. Both of DKK1 and AREG may play significant roles in tumor progression and may offer promising therapeutic targets in HCC patients. https://ijhoscr.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijhoscr/article/view/1023 https://ijhoscr.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijhoscr/article/download/1023/790