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Background: CA72-4 is an important tumor marker, crucial for detecting and monitoring gastrointestinal, ovarian, and other cancers. However, colchicine, used for gout and other diseases, has been found to abnormally elevate serum CA72-4 levels. This may lead to misinterpreting CA72-4 elevation as a cancer signal, causing unnecessary anxiety and further tests.
Methods: In this study, a 75-year-old male patient was selected. He was admitted for dizziness, with a history of gout and recent colchicine use. His CA72-4 level was found to be extremely high at 298.5 IU/mL, far above the normal range of 0 - 12 IU/mL, while other tumor markers were within normal ranges.
Results: Considering possible colchicine interference, the patient was advised to discontinue colchicine for one month before retesting. The CA72-4 level dropped to 3.96 IU/mL, indicating colchicine's impact on the test result. Conclusions: CA72-4 is a non-specific tumor marker; its elevation doesnot necessarily indicate cancer. Drugs like colchicine can cause false elevations. Accurate interpretation of test results, considering drug use, enhances diag-nostic accuracy and optimizes medical resource use. For long-term colchicine users with elevated CA72-4, cautious assessment is needed to avoid unnecessary discontinuation or further tests.
DOI: 10.7754/Clin.Lab.2025.250337
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