The Wnt inhibitor Dickkopf-1; a link between breast cancer and bone metastases

Background: Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women and metastasizes to bone in greater than 80% of patients with advanced disease. Many mechanisms have been implicated in breast cancer metastases to bone. The critical role of the Wnt signalling pathway inhibition in sustaining the onset of bone lesions has been demonstrated in a variety of bone diseases and tumors. Over expression of dickkopf-1 (Dkk1) protein, a negative regulator of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, has been found in breast cancer cell lines and in patients with breast cancer and bone metastasis. Further understanding of t…