Hepatocellular carcinoma is a common malignant tumor.Early diagnosis and accurate outcome evaluation are of vital importance in the diagnosis and treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.In recent years,more and more studies have confirmed that the secretory protein DKK1 is closely related to the occurrence and development of hepatocellular carcinoma.Serum DKK1 analysis,as a simple and easy detection method,is becoming more and more important.The recent progress on the application of serum DKK1 in hepatocellular carcinoma has been summarized:diagnosis and differential diagnosis,disease assessment and outcome evaluation,so as to provide reference for peer researchers.