Is alpha-fetoprotein an indicator of liver cancer?

Elevated alpha-fetoprotein is often the first sign of liver cancer. If the alpha-fetoprotein level in the blood is significantly high, the possibility of liver cancer should be considered, but this does not necessarily mean that liver cancer can be diagnosed.

The reasons why patients with liver disease need to check alpha-fetoprotein are:

When chronic liver disease is in the active stage, some liver cells undergo degeneration and necrosis. In order to repair necrotic liver cells, the body needs to activate the liver cell regeneration mechanism. When liver cell regeneration is relatively active, alpha-fetoprotein may increase slightly, and the fluctuation is closely related to the outcome of liver disease. When liver cancer occurs, due to the strong ability of liver cancer cells to produce alpha-fetoprotein, alpha-fetoprotein in the blood often increases significantly and progressively. Therefore, the increase in alpha-fetoprotein in the blood can be used as an important basis for diagnosing liver cancer.

Elevated alpha-fetoprotein means:

Elevated alpha-fetoprotein is often the first sign of liver cancer. If the alpha-fetoprotein level is significantly higher in the blood, the possibility of liver cancer should be considered. Alpha-fetoprotein can be elevated 8 months before the onset of liver cancer symptoms. At this time, most liver cancer patients still have no obvious symptoms and the tumor is relatively small. After surgical treatment, the prognosis of these patients can be significantly improved.

Reasons why elevated alpha-fetoprotein cannot be diagnosed as liver cancer:

AFP is indeed an important indicator for diagnosing liver cancer, but it does not mean that liver cancer can be diagnosed as long as AFP is positive. To diagnose liver cancer, it is necessary to dynamically observe the changes in AFP levels. If the AFP test results are greater than 400μg/L for more than one month, liver cancer can be highly suspected and can only be confirmed by combining imaging examinations.

In summary, the AFP test is of great reference value, but abnormality does not necessarily lead to a diagnosis of liver cancer. Women with normal pregnancy, a few cases of hepatitis and cirrhosis, and malignant gonadal tumors may also have elevated AFP. Similarly, a normal AFP test cannot absolutely rule out the possibility of liver cancer. A dynamic analysis of AFP is required, and B-ultrasound and other imaging examinations are needed to confirm liver cancer.