Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Gastrointest Pathophysiol. Sep 22, 2026; 17(3): 125464
Published online Sep 22, 2026. doi: 10.4291/wjgp.125464
Published online Sep 22, 2026. doi: 10.4291/wjgp.125464
Carbohydrate antigen 72-4 and tumor-associated glycoprotein 72 - tumor marker: Past, present and future
Rui-Kyi Ng, Department of General Surgery, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117597, Singapore
Vishal G Shelat, Department of General Surgery, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore 308433, Singapore
Author contributions: Shelat VG conceptualized and designed the study, supervised, and made critical revisions; Ng RK and Shelat VG conducted the literature review, consolidated the data, drafted the manuscript, and made critical revisions; all authors contributed to preparation of the draft and approved the submitted version.
AI contribution statement: Both authors have none to declare.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Corresponding author: Vishal G Shelat, Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of General Surgery, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, 11 Jalan Tan Tock Seng, Singapore 308433, Singapore.
Received: July 8, 2026
Revised: July 28, 2026
Accepted: September 1, 2026
Published online: September 22, 2026
Processing time: 63 Days and 0.2 Hours
Revised: July 28, 2026
Accepted: September 1, 2026
Published online: September 22, 2026
Processing time: 63 Days and 0.2 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Carbohydrate antigen 72-4 (CA72-4) refers mainly to the clinical assay or serum readout of circulating tumor-associated glycoprotein 72 (TAG-72)-related antigenic determinants; while TAG-72 refers to the broader TAG target. Gastric cancer remains the main clinical setting for CA72-4, especially in prognosis, recurrence assessment and peritoneal dissemination. Pleural-fluid CA72-4 has high specificity but modest sensitivity for malignant pleural effusion, supporting a rule-in adjunctive role. TAG-72 also links CA72-4 to cytology, immunohistochemistry, molecular imaging and cellular therapy research. Future studies should prioritize assay standardization, disease-specific thresholds, marker kinetics and patient-management outcomes.