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Tumor Markers

CA 72-4: a tumour marker for stomach and ovary, and why it is not suitable for screening

CA 72-4 is a tumour marker that a 2026 review connects to TAG-72, a high-molecular-weight molecule that resembles mucus proteins (mucins). According to the NVKC, tumour markers are substances, usually proteins, that arise as the body's reaction to cancer or are made by the cancer itself.

According to a 2026 review, CA 72-4 has been studied in, among others, stomach, ovarian, colorectal and pancreatic cancer. CA 72-4 can also be raised with benign conditions and inflammation, and only a blood test shows how high the value is.

In research, CA 72-4 is expressed in units per millilitre (U/mL), and Star-SHL, Certe and Diagnostiek voor U do not have CA 72-4 in their lists of determinations. According to the review, CA 72-4 is not a test for screening the population for cancer.

Doctor's Assessment Included

CA 72-4 is a protein with sugar groups that is present in the blood in small amounts and that some tumours of the stomach and gut release in larger amounts. Star-SHL, Unilabs, Certe and Diagnostiek voor U do not offer CA 72-4 and publish no limit for it; limits differ between assay methods.

  • In people without symptoms, a raised CA 72-4 usually does not mean cancer: in a Taiwanese study of 7,757 healthy adults, 7.2 percent had a high value, and fewer than 1 in 500 of them had stomach cancer.
  • CA 72-4 is not suitable for screening people without symptoms for cancer.
  • After an unexpectedly high CA 72-4, a reasonable first step is a repeat measurement, with a check of the assay method and a look at symptoms and imaging.

Reference Ranges

No established reference range

There is no Dutch reference value for CA 72-4. No Dutch guideline or laboratory handbook publishes one, and — unlike most blood values — no international standard exists for this test. Different analysers therefore report different numbers for the same person; the manufacturer itself requires that a CA 72-4 result only be read alongside the method used to measure it. We work with several partner laboratories, each with its own analyser and its own reference values. Your own result therefore arrives with the reference interval of the laboratory that examined your blood: that is the interval that applies to you. Discuss your result with your doctor.

Unit: ku/l

Reference ranges may vary between laboratories. When you order a test, a BIG-registered doctor assesses your personal results in context. For treatment decisions, discuss your results with your GP.

CA 72-4: what this test measures

A CA 72-4 test determines the concentration of CA 72-4 in the blood, in units per millilitre (U/mL). In one study of 106 women with ovarian cancer, cited by a 2026 review, a cut-off of 4.0 U/mL found 63.2% of the ovarian cancers; that is a study cut-off and not a reference value.

CA 72-4: why this value matters

According to a 2026 review, CA 72-4 is an additional marker, used alongside other tumour markers and investigations, that does not show cancer on its own. Early reviews called CA 72-4 a potentially useful marker in several cancers, especially of the digestive tract and gynaecological cancers, according to the review.

According to the NVKC, cancer is established by microscopic examination of tissue or cells from a biopsy, and not by the result of a tumour marker alone.

CA 72-4: how the blood test works

Referral
No GP referral needed. After the order we arrange the referral through ZorgDomein, within one business day; orders after 17:00 or at the weekend start on the next business day. ZorgDomein emails a barcode, and that barcode is what the draw site needs.
The draw
A blood draw from a vein in the arm, at a partner laboratory's draw site. No home kit, no finger prick.
Where
650+ draw sites run by independent laboratories across the Netherlands. Draw sites

CA 72-4: when is testing worthwhile?

According to a 2026 review, CA 72-4 should not be used for population screening, and according to the NVKC most tumour markers are not suitable for screening large population groups. Its main use, according to that review, is the care around stomach cancer.

CA 72-4: symptoms of a high or low value

Low Levels

A low CA 72-4 has no meaning for health in the sources read, and no source describes symptoms with a low value. A study finding for comparison: healthy participants in one Chinese study had a median CA 72-4 of 1.59 U/ml, which is not a cut-off value.

High Levels

A raised CA 72-4 is not proof of cancer, because according to a 2026 review the value can also rise with benign conditions, inflammation, a poorly working organ or a measuring interference. CA 72-4 was high in 7.2% of the healthy adults in a Taiwanese study.

Stomach complaints, previous stomach cancer, fluid in the abdomen (ascites) or fluid around the lungs do make a CA 72-4 that persists, rises or is markedly raised a reason for targeted investigation, according to the review.

CA 72-4: causes of a low or high value

What raises the value

  • Stomach cancer

    CA 72-4 is most closely linked to stomach cancer, but it is an add-on test that cannot show cancer on its own.

  • Other cancers of the abdomen and pelvis

    CA 72-4 has also been studied as a tumour marker in cancer of the ovary, the bowel and the pancreas.

  • Gout flare

    During a gout flare, CA 72-4 was significantly higher in a study than in gout without a flare and in healthy people.

  • Colchicine

    The gout drug colchicine can raise CA 72-4; in a study the value fell again after it was stopped.

  • Stomach ulcer, stomach polyps and Helicobacter

    A stomach ulcer, stomach polyps, a chronically inflamed and thinned stomach lining (atrophic gastritis) and a Helicobacter pylori infection were linked to a higher CA 72-4 in a study.

CA 72-4: lifestyle and this value

According to a 2026 review, the approach to an unexpectedly raised CA 72-4 begins with confirmation: a repeat measurement, a check of the measuring method and an assessment of symptoms or abnormal imaging. With a mildly raised value with no other abnormality, without symptoms and at low risk, no untargeted investigation of the whole body is needed according to the review.

CA 72-4: frequently asked questions

Is CA 72-4 a test for ovarian cancer?

No, CA 72-4 is not a test that shows ovarian cancer on its own: CA 72-4 has been studied in ovarian cancer, but according to a 2026 review it is an additional marker.

Can CA 72-4 be raised without cancer?

Yes, CA 72-4 can be raised without cancer: according to a 2026 review the value can rise with benign conditions and inflammation, and according to a 2019 study the gout drug colchicine can also raise CA 72-4.

Why are CA 72-4 values from different studies hard to compare?

CA 72-4 values from different studies are hard to compare according to a 2026 review, because measuring methods and cut-off values vary.

CA 72-4: sources

  1. Ng RK, Shelat VG. Carbohydrate antigen 72-4 and tumor-associated glycoprotein 72 - tumor marker: Past, present and future. World J Gastrointest Pathophysiol 2026;17(3):125464. (retrieved 2026) pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  2. Zhuang Y, et al. Elevated serum CA72-4 as a novel diagnostic biomarker for acute gout flares. Sci Rep 2025;15:20728. (retrieved 2026) pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  3. Zhao B, et al. An abnormal elevation of serum CA72-4 rather than other tumor markers can be caused by use of colchicine. Int J Biol Markers 2019;34(3):318-321. (retrieved 2026) pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  4. Hu PJ, et al. Clinical Evaluation of CA72-4 for Screening Gastric Cancer in A Healthy Population: A Multicenter Retrospective Study. Cancers (Basel) 2019;11(5):733. (retrieved 2026) pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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Dr. Naimi oversees the medical standards behind our content and assessments.

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