['To investigate the involvement of Dickkopf-1 expression in gastric cancer.', 'Dickkopf-1 mRNA and protein expression were determined by real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry in specimens of primary cancer and their adjacent noncancerous tissues in gastric cancer patients.', 'Dickkopf-1 mRNA and protein expression levels were both significantly upregulated in gastric cancer lesions compared with adjacent noncancerous tissues. Its positive expression was correlated with depth of invasion, vessel invasion, lymph node and distant metastasis, and TNM stage of tumors. Additionally, in stages I, II, and III gastric cancers, the 5- year survival rate of patients with a high expression of Dickkopf-1 was significantly lower than that in patients with low expression. In stage IV, Dickkopf-1 expression did not correlate with the 5-year survival rate. Further multivariate analysis suggested that the up-regulation of Dickkopf-1 was an independent prognostic indicator for gastric cancer.'] Is dickkopf-1 expression a novel prognostic marker for gastric cancer?