AFP Liver Cancer Tumour Marker
Fetal tissues and tumors develop AFP glycoprotein from embryonic structures.AFP testing during pregnancy aids in identifying fetal deformities such as neural tube defects, renal anomalies, omphalocele, intrauterine death, and circumstances with elevated AFP levels for the pregnancy age. Screening for liver cancer requires determination.
Why Get An AFP Exam?
A high tumor marker level can indicate a certain malignancy. It aids the oncologist in selecting the optimum cancer treatment. Evaluation of therapy effectiveness. Tumour markers can be used for screening to detect high-risk cancers before symptoms appear.
1 BioMarkers:
- AFP: measures the amount in your blood.
How Does My Liver Exam Work?
Make an appointment online for and visit us on-site to have your blood drawn by our Registered Nurse. Please note that you must present your ID for your appointment.
Make an online appointment for AFP / Liver or just walk into one of our clinic locations.
Let our experienced clinic staff take your sample.
View your results in your email inbox or our dashboard after waiting.
How Many Days Will My Results Take?
We do our best to provide a target turnaround time for Liver Cancer of 1 working day. Please keep in mind that our turnaround times are guidelines, not guarantees. Assay schedules may affect our result processing times.
Refunds are not granted for appointments that are missed or cancelled less than 24 hours in advance. Rescheduling may be discussed, but we are not able to give a guarantee.
Don’t hesitate to contact customer service to discuss other cost and availability options.
*The test is sold as part of the MOL research program. And the purchaser agrees to provide feedback data to MOL. This data is pre-authorised to be used anonymously in this research data program.
Please not that we cannot draw any blood samples from people who are under 16 years old.
Why Should You Use Our AFP Evaluation Checkup?
- Leading laboratory technologies.
- Great pricing thanks to batch processing to keep costs down (1 – 7 days).
- Support handled by professionally trained Medical Laboratory personnel.
- Order Directly with our Laboratory for unbeatable Prices, no middle an.
- Talk Directly with Lab Support Staff.
- Choose between a Profile or an individual report.
- IVD including Tubes and Lancets MHRA Registered
- Jump-the-queue option available for an additional £50.
- Insured and Free Replacement Kit if damaged.
- Money Back Guarantee
- Track24 Pre-paid Label Option for Delivery to Lab.
- AFP evaluation result certificate sent to you by Confidential Email (No SMS).
- We provide support through WhatsApp during our business hours.
The Laboratory that processes your AFP samples uses CE-certified special purpose high tech instruments and robotic machines supplied by some of the best medical technology suppliers. Many of these technologies are considered the latest in the industry. Some are regarded as more advanced than many other labs, as of 2025.
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Liver Scientific Info/Data from Our Equipment and Material Suppliers
Technology Method:
Fluorescence quantitative immunoassay
Detection Bounds:
Less than or equal to 5.0 ng/mL.
Accuracy and Precision:
The relative standard deviation from the target value is ≤ 15%. The within-assay CV is less than or equal to 15 %. The between-assay CV is ≤ 15%.
Measuring Range:
5~400 ng/mL
Validation-Active Information:
- EQA:
- Inter-laboratory validations
- Periodic according to validation schedule.
- Event-triggered.
In range results:
The reference range for healthy nonpregnant females and males is less than 20 ng/mL.
Out-of-range results:
Any result greater than the reference range would be considered abnormal. Those with elevated levels of AFP may be at risk for small-cell lung type cancer. Elevated levels of may also indicate other cancers including Hodgkin’s disease, lymphoma, and kidney cancer.
Page Quality Review:
Review Date : 01/02/2026
Reviewed By :
Life is Meant to be Lived
One Man’s Story: A Daughter’s Perspective
About two years ago, when my father received a diagnosis of primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), he looked to me for help in identifying treatment options. The diagnosis of HCC, difficult for anyone to handle, was extremely devastating to my father, who had already battled numerous life-threatening conditions and diseases.
Through it all, my father has been a fighter. He has refused to feel sorry for himself, lose control or break down. He has faced every enemy head-on with a fierce determination to gain the upper hand. My father’s philosophy has always been that life is meant to be lived.
A Silent, Deadly Infection
Almost two years ago, someone informed my father that he had it. Ironically, the same surgery that had saved his life 30 years earlier likely also infected him with a deadly hepatitis virus. Silently working behind the scenes, the infection had finally taken its toll. My father had multiple tumours. He had about 6 months to live.
For the first time, I heard my father’s tired voice. He could only take so much. It wasn’t fair. As soon as he surmounted one obstacle, another appeared in its place. But, despite it all, he wanted to lick this one, too, so the hunt for a treatment began.
Then I spoke with Dr. Jack Wands, director of the Division of Gastroenterology and the Research Center Rhode Island and Miriam Hospital(s). He listened attentively to my story. He asked if I had heard of Dr Damian Dupuy at Rhode Island Hospital. Dr Dupuy did incredible things with radiofrequency ablation (RFA) therapy, including treating with a liver blood cancer test.
New Therapy Extends Quality of Life
As soon as I got off the phone, I fired off an e-mail to Dr Dupuy. Within 24 hours, I received a reply – he would be happy to evaluate my father, but cautioned that this treatment was not for everyone. Within a few weeks, my father underwent several cancer tests and was then on his way to Rhode Island for treatment. Dr Dupuy could ablate most of the tumour masses; two months later, my father returned to the golf course. That was eighteen months ago.
Since that time, my father has needed two more RFA treatments. With every treatment, my father has recovered more rapidly. He is currently leading an active life with my mother. Spending time with his grandkids and, of course, playing golf. We know from the cancer liver tests that it is not gone, but we will control it with ablation therapy for as long as possible.
This treatment has extended his life and allowed him to live it doing the things he most enjoys doing.
A Doctor’s Perspective
Damian Dupuy, M.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Diagnostic Imaging at Brown Medical School, and Director of Ultrasound at Rhode Island Hospital
In addition to completely eradicating tumours, physicians can use radiofrequency ablation (RFA) to control primary LC in patients who have no alternative options due to factors such as tumour size, location, or associated medical conditions. The daughter of one patient who greatly benefited from the soothing effects of RFA has written an account of his story. With the patient’s permission, I would like to share his case from the physician’s perspective.
First Impressions
Mr Pachuk presented to me with two large hepatocellular carcinomas (>7cm) in the right lobe of his liver approximately 18 months ago. Standard therapy for his disease would have been surgical removal of the right side. Mr Pachuk’s normal left lobe was sufficiently healthy to carry the workload. Unfortunately, Mr Pachuk had a history of congestive heart failure and chronic renal insufficiency, making him a very poor surgical candidate. Despite his medical problems, Mr Pachuk lives a full life, enjoying travel and golf, and he is not ready to throw in the towel just yet.
His local physicians, as well as specialists at a major cancer centre, were unaware of the benefits of RFA as a minimally invasive treatment option in cases such as his, and they gave him no treatment as his only option. This left him with a typical median survival of 4-6 months. Fortunately, his daughter works in the field of hepatology, and her connections led her to me at Brown Medical School and Rhode Island Hospital, where I had been using RFA as a palliative treatment and test options in patients with large cancer tumours such as Mr Pachuk’s.
Overcoming Complications
The first ultrasound-guided RFA treatment went very well. But I knew upfront that complete tumour eradication was out of the question. Nonetheless, I did my best, and approximately 80-90% of the tumour was killed. Normally, I follow patients with contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). However, in Mr Pachuk’s case, his renal insufficiency excluded the use of intravenous CT contrast due to its toxic effects on the kidney. He developed a cardiac arrhythmia requiring a permanent pacemaker. This prevented him from being followed with an MRI since the magnetic fields interfere with pacemaker function.
Fortunately, Mr Pachuk’s tumour made a protein, which approximately 50% of primary liver tumours make, called alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). Therefore, I have followed Mr Pachuk’s disease status with the AFP function blood test. He has had two additional RFA treatments using CT guidance. His tumour has been retreated to keep it from growing into the vital parts of his organs. This area contains major blood vessels and bile ducts. Walking the fine line between killing enough tumours without hurting the overall
status of Mr Pachuk has been challenging. However, compounding the inability to see the areas of viable tumours has made it even more challenging.
A Physician’s Reward
Despite the complexities of his Liver Cancer disease test and overall health status, Mr Pachuk continues to live a normal life. He is probably more active than most people in their 80’s. This desire to live life to its fullest is most refreshing. Applying state-of-the-art technology in a clinical situation where no other hope exists is very rewarding as a physician.
I thank Mr. Pachuk and his family for their bravery and open-mindedness during his RFA treatment. I will do my best to maintain his quality and quantity of life, which is the main goal of therapy. Hopefully, those who hear this story will share this knowledge so that others in similar situations can benefit from this remarkable treatment option.
About Radiofrequency Ablation
For decades, doctors have been using direct injection of absolute ethanol to treat and test small primary disease with successful rivalling surgery. Recently, they have replaced alcohol with radiofrequency ablation (RFA). RFA is a heat-mediated therapy. It is favoured because of its ability to treat larger lesions with fewer treatments.
The RFA technique involves emitting an alternating current in the frequency of radio waves. It goes from the tip of an electrode or needle placed directly into a tumour. The alternating current flowing back and forth through the tissue causes frictional heating and coagulation of the tumour.
In treating
primary tumours, RFA has achieved complete cell death in over 85-90% of cases in lesions smaller than 5 cm, with less than a 10% local recurrence rate. Unlike surgery and other treatments, RFA can be performed often on the same patient. This is very important in the hepatitis B population, as these patients are prone to developing tumours in more than one site over time.
Until modern medicine can prevent the formation or stop the growth of primary cancer, which needs some checks at the gene level, also focal ablative therapies such as RFA will be mainstays in cancer treatment. This is expected to persist for years to come.
Cathy Pachuk, PhD.
Associate Professor, The Jefferson Centre, Thomas Jefferson University
Shipping and Return Policies
Appointment:
Missed appointments or cancellations less than 24 hours prior are not entitled to refunds. Rescheduling is possible but not guaranteed. Please contact the customer service prior to the appointment time to discuss cost and availability options.
Shipping & Return:
We have a 14-day return policy, which means you have 14 days after receiving your item to request a return.
To Qualify for any return, the product must be in the same condition as when you received it. Not used, not opened, unworn, in its original packaging. You will also need to send it to us with the receipt or proof of purchase.
Please return to: Medicines by MailBox, 89 Falcon Rd, London. SW11 2PF
You can read our full return policy here:
https://medicinesbymailbox.co.uk/return-policy/
We offer next day delivery; however courier delivery times are out of our control. We are unable to offer refunds for any late deliveries. But you will receive courier tracking information once your order has been dispatched. And orders placed by 1pm are dispatched on the same day.
AFP (Liver cancer)
Hugo N. –
I was pleased with the whole experience. Booking was a snap and the clinic was well-kept.
Christine Everett –
The clinic staff were really friendly. Results came quickly.