Alpha-fetoprotein
What this test measures
Alpha-fetoprotein is a protein made in large amounts by the fetal liver and in small amounts by adults. Tumour markers are proteins that can rise for many reasons, most of them not cancer. Specialists mainly use them to follow a condition that has already been identified, and a single value cannot answer a screening question on its own.
Why doctors request it
Used by liver specialists to follow people with long-term liver disease, in pregnancy screening, and to follow some testicular and ovarian conditions.
What commonly pushes it up
- Pregnancy, where it rises through the second trimester
- Liver inflammation and cirrhosis
- Liver regeneration after injury
- Some liver and germ cell cancers
What commonly pushes it down
- There is no meaningful low value outside pregnancy
Everyday reasons for a value outside the range
- Pregnancy ranges are entirely different and are expressed as multiples of the median
- Active hepatitis raises it without cancer
About the sample
No fasting needed. In pregnancy this is reported differently and belongs with the antenatal screening result.
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Read my report freeThis is an educational summary of results you uploaded. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis or a treatment plan, and it does not replace the doctor who requested the test. If you are worried, or a result is marked outside range, discuss it with your doctor. Written and reviewed by a UK consultant physician. Reference ranges vary between laboratories.