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This is a blood test to look for alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) in your blood. AFP is normally made by a fetus's liver and yolk sac. It's the main protein during the first 3 months of development. AFP greatly decreases by age 1 and should only be found in adults in very low levels. AFP is 1 of several tumor markers. Tumor markers are molecules in the blood that are higher when a person has certain cancers. AFP is found mainly in liver cancer and germ cell tumors of the testicles or ovaries, which are rare. These are found in the pineal gland in the brain. Some people with cirrhosis or chronic active hepatitis also have higher blood levels of AFP. 1
In the OMOP vocabulary 8842 is a Standard Concept that represents the unit nanogram per milliliter (ng/mL)
0
150,000.00
The literature indicates that a range from 0.0−8.3 ng/mL is normal for males and non-pregnant females 2. During pregnancy, AFP is elevated and for neonates, elevated AFP levels (>100,000 ng/mL) are possible 3. The literature, combined with a data-driven approach to empirically establish possible low and high values, leads us to choose 0 and 150,000.