What causes high levels of alpha-fetoprotein?

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 is a high alpha-fetoprotein level?

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 does a positive AFP test mean?

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.

Is alpha-fetoprotein high or low in Down syndrome?

In the majority of pregnancies involving a Down’s syndrome (DS) fetus, the level of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) measured in maternal serum and amniotic fluid is reduced to about 70 per cent of the level attained in normal pregnancies.

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 considered a high tumor marker?

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.

How long for AFP results?

An AFP test is done by taking a blood sample in between the 15th and 20th week of pregnancy, and then having the sample sent off to the lab. Results are usually available within two weeks.

What are normal AFP levels in pregnancy?

Increased levels of AFP in prenatal blood test can be an indication of open neural tube defect and Down syndrome . Normal Value Range. Negative Pregnancy Adult: < 15 ng/mL or < 15 µg/liter. Pregnancy Trimester One: 18 to 119 ng/mL or 18 to 119 µg/liter. Pregnancy Trimester Two: 96 to 302 ng/mL or 96 to 302 µg/liter.

What is AFP level mean?

AFP stands for alpha-fetoprotein. It is a protein made in the liver of a developing baby. AFP levels are usually high when a baby is born, but fall to very low levels by the age of 1. Healthy adults should have very low levels of AFP. An AFP tumor marker test is a blood test that measures the levels of AFP in adults.

What does AFP mean in text?

AFP means “Away from Phone”. The abbreviation AFP is typically used to indicate that the sender will not be able to answer calls or messages for a while.