Objective:To explore the value of preoperative serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), thymidine kinase 1 (TK1) and glycan antigen 199 (CA199) level detection in predicting metastatic recurrence of colon cancer after surgery.Methods:Eighty-four colon cancer patients who were to undergo surgical treatment at the hospital were selected, and the patients were divided into two groups according to whether or not metastatic recurrence had occurred according to the follow-up period, of which 56 cases without metastatic recurrence were set as the non-recurrent group, and 28 cases of metastatic recurrence were set as the recurrent group. The differences in the levels of TK1, CA199 and CEA between the two groups were compared, and the working characteristic (ROC) curves of the subjects were plotted to analyze the relationship between TK1, CA199 and CEA and postoperative recurrent metastasis of colon cancer as well as the value of the single and combined examination of the three for predicting postoperative recurrent metastasis of colon cancer.Results:The detection values of TK1, CA199 and CEA in the recurrence group were higher than those in the non-recurrence group, with statistical differences (P<0.05); the area under the curve (AUC) of TK1 for predicting postoperative recurrent metastasis of colon cancer was 0.730, with the sensitivity of 71.40% and the specificity of 60.70%; TK1, CA199, and CEA were all risk factors for postoperative recurrent metastasis of colon cancer (P<0.05); the AUC of the combined test for predicting postoperative recurrent metastasis of colon cancer was 0.904, the sensitivity was 92.90%, and the specificity was 82.10%, which were higher than that of the single test.Conclusion:The preoperative levels of CA199, CEA and TK1 were significantly elevated in those with metastatic recurrence, and the combination of the three tests can improve the accuracy of predicting postoperative recurrent metastasis of colon cancer and guide the clinical treatment.