Objective: To investigate the value of serum CEA and CA19-9 in predicting early recurrence/metastasis of colon cancer after radical surgery. Methods: The clinical data of 129 patients with postoperative recurrence and metastasis of colon cancer and treated from January 2012 to January 2015 were collected. The relations of preoperative CEA and CA19-9 levels with early postoperative recurrence/metastasis and other clinicopathologic variables were analyzed. Results: Of the 129 patients, early recurrence/metastasis (within 12 months after surgery) occurred in 82 cases and another 47 cases had late recurrence/metastasis (over 12 months after surgery); early recurrence/metastasis occurred in 56 of the 74 patients with positive preoperative CEA and 51 of the 68 patients with positive preoperative CA19-9. Statistical analyses showed that there was a close relationship between early postoperative recurrence/metastasis of colon cancer and preoperative CEA or CA19-9 level; the ratios of cases with advanced T or TNM stage, lymph node metastasis or vascular invasion was increased in patients with positive preoperative CEA or CA19-9. The rate of early postoperative recurrence/metastasis in patients with positive preoperative CEA or CA19-9 was significantly higher than that in corresponding negative ones, and in patients with both positive CEA and CA19-9 was significantly higher than that in either single positive or double negative ones, and all differences had statistical significance (all P<0.05). Conclusion: Preoperative determination of serum CEA and CA19-9 levels has important significance in predicting early postoperative recurrence/metastasis of colon cancer, and patients with both positive CEA and CA19-9 may face a poor prognosis.