Expression of Dickkopf-3 in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer and Its Significance

Objective：To investigate the correlation between the expression of Dickkopf-3 (Dkk-3) and the clinicopathologic features of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods：High sensitive SP immunohistochemical method was used to detect the expression ofDkk-3 in 50 NSCLC specimens and 20 benign lesion lung tissues. Results：Dkk-3 was expressed in 26 out of 50 human non-small cell lung cancer tissues, which was significantly lower than that in benign lesion tissues ( P <0.05). Furthermore, the decreased expression of Dkk-3 in lung cancer tissues was positive correlation with lymph migration and clinical stage, while no correlation was observed between the expression of Dkk-3 and sex or histological classification in non-small cell lung cancer. Conclusion：Dkk-3 gene may be a novel candidate of tumor-suppressor, and its inhibition may contribute to the progress of non-small cell lung cancer.