What is considered a high AFP level?
AFP is measured in nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL). 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.
What does a high AFP tumor marker mean?
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 causes raised AFP?
Increased AFP can be caused by liver cancer, germ cell tumour of the testis or less commonly other cancers (for example ovary, stomach, bowel, lung, breast, lymphoma). Slightly increased levels of AFP are common in patients who have chronic hepatitis or cirrhosis and do not indicate the presence of cancer.
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 AFP is high?
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. High AFP levels don’t always mean cancer, and normal levels don’t always rule out cancer.
Can fatty liver cause elevated AFP?
Conclusion. Patients with NAFLD have higher AFP levels than those without fatty liver changes. AFP levels rise as grade of liver steatosis increases. NAFLD should be among the differential diagnosis of elevated serum AFP levels.
How do you lower AFP levels?
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 happens if tumor markers are high?
High tumor marker levels can be a sign of cancer. Along with other tests, tumor marker tests can help doctors diagnose specific types of cancer and plan treatment. Tumor marker tests are most commonly used to do the following: Learn if a person has cancer.
How high can Tumor markers go?
Normal range: < 2.5 ng/ml. Normal range may vary somewhat depending on the brand of assay used. Levels > 10 ng/ml suggest extensive disease and levels > 20 ng/ml suggest metastatic disease.
What can an AFP tumor marker test Tell Me?
An AFP tumor marker test is a blood test that measures the levels of AFP in adults. 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.
What are high tumor markers?
Tumor markers are substances found at higher than normal levels in the blood, urine, or body tissue of some people with cancer. Although cancer cells often produce tumor markers, healthy cells in the body may produce them as well. Tumor markers are also called biomarkers. High tumor marker levels can be a sign of cancer.
What are the benign causes of elevated CA 27-29 levels?
Benign causes of elevated CA 27-29 levels are as follows: Chronic hepatitis. Liver cirrhosis. Tuberculosis. Sarcoidosis. Benign breast disease. Pelvic inflammatory disease [ 2]
What is the normal range for tumor markers?
Tumor Marker reference range. The normal range for tumor marker 15-3 is less than or equal to 30 units per milliliter.
