Why is AFP elevated in hepatocellular carcinoma?
AFP levels may be elevated because of production by the tumor or by regenerating hepatocytes. Therefore, AFP levels are also frequently elevated in chronic active hepatitis C (levels of 200-300 ng/mL are not uncommon), but in those patients the levels tend to fluctuate and do not progressively increase.
How much sensitivity do AFP have for hepatocellular carcinoma?
Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is the most widely used serum marker for screening and initial diagnosis of HCC in clinical practice. However, the sensitivity of AFP is only about 60% at a cut-off value of 20 ng/mL, and the specificity is low [8,9,10].
Can AFP detect liver cancer?
AFP is a protein that can be measured in the blood of patients with liver cancer. But looking for high AFP levels isn’t a perfect test for liver cancer. Many patients with early liver cancer have normal AFP levels. Also, AFP levels can be increased from other kinds of cancer as well as some non-cancerous conditions.
What cancers have high AFP?
Increased AFP levels may indicate the presence of cancer, most commonly liver cancer, cancer of the ovary, or germ cell tumor of the testicles. However, not every liver, ovarian, or testicular cancer will produce significant quantities of AFP.
What can cause high AFP levels?
Tumor markers are substances made by cancer cells or by normal cells in response to cancer in the body. High levels of AFP can be a sign of liver cancer or cancer of the ovaries or testicles, as well as noncancerous liver diseases such as cirrhosis and hepatitis.
How high can AFP levels go?
An AFP level between 10 ng/mL to 20 ng/mL is normal for adults. An extremely high level of AFP in your blood—greater than 400 ng/mL—could be a sign of liver tumors. High levels of AFP may mean other cancers, including Hodgkin disease, lymphoma, and renal cell carcinoma (kidney cancer).
What is the life expectancy of a person with hepatocellular carcinoma?
Overall prognosis for survival is poor, with a 5-year relative survival rate of 18.4%. By stage, the relative 5-year survival is 32.6% in patients diagnosed with localized disease, 10.8% with regional disease, and 2.4% with distant disease.
How do you confirm HCC?
Tests and procedures used to diagnose hepatocellular carcinoma include:
- Blood tests to measure liver function.
- Imaging tests, such as CT and MRI.
- Liver biopsy, in some cases, to remove a sample of liver tissue for laboratory testing.
Can HCC be diagnosed without a biopsy?
If the nodule is larger than 2 cm at initial diagnosis and has the typical features of HCC on one dynamic imaging technique, biopsy is not necessary for the diagnosis of HCC. Alternatively, if the AFP is >200 ng/mL, biopsy is also not required.
What is an abnormal AFP result?
What do the results mean? If your results show higher than normal AFP levels, it may mean your baby has a neural tube defect such as spina bifida, a condition in which the bones of the spine don’t close around the spinal cord, or anencephaly, a condition in which the brain does not develop properly.
What happens if an AFP test is positive?
What does it mean if my AFP PLUS test result is screen positive? A positive AFP PLUS test means that you are in a higher likelihood group for having a baby with a neural tube defect or a chromosome abnormality. However, it does not prove by itself that there is anything wrong with the pregnancy.
How can you get liver cancer early?
If symptoms and/or the results of the physical exam suggest you might have liver cancer, more tests will probably be done. These might include imaging tests, lab tests, and/or biopsies of liver tissue . Ultrasound3 is often the first test used to look at the liver.
How do I lower my AFP?
Iron reduction therapy significantly reduced the median level of serum AFP from 13 to 7 ng/mL, ALT from 96 to 50 IU/L, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) from 55 to 28 IU/L, and ferritin from 191 to 10 ng/mL ( for each).
What is a normal CA 125 level?
The normal value is less than 46 U/mL. If your CA 125 level is higher than normal, you may have a benign condition, or the test result could mean that you have ovarian, endometrial, peritoneal or fallopian tube cancer. Your doctor may recommend other tests and procedures to determine your diagnosis.
Can fatty liver cause elevated AFP?
The presence of hepatic inflammation and/or fibrosis may be the underlying cause of increased serum AFP levels in patients with severe fatty liver. Necrosis or active regeneration may also play a role in these patients.