Role of Alpha-Fetoprotein (AFP) in Diagnosing Childhood Cancers and Genetic-Related Chronic Diseases.
Joanna Głowska-CiemnyMarcin SzymanskiAgata KuszerskaRafał RzepkaConstantin S von KaisenbergRafał KocyłowskiPublished in: Cancers (2023)
Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is a protein commonly found during fetal development, but its role extends beyond birth. Throughout the first year of life, AFP levels can remain high, which can potentially mask various conditions from the neurological, metabolic, hematological, endocrine, and early childhood cancer groups. Although AFP reference values and clinical utility have been established in adults, evaluating AFP levels in children during the diagnostic process, treatment, and post-treatment surveillance is still associated with numerous diagnostic pitfalls. These challenges arise from the presence of physiologically elevated AFP levels, inconsistent data obtained from different laboratory tests, and the limited population of children with oncologic diseases that have been studied. To address these issues, it is essential to establish updated reference ranges for AFP in this specific age group. A population-based study involving a statistically representative group of patients could serve as a valuable solution for this purpose.
Keyphrases
- childhood cancer
- young adults
- end stage renal disease
- ejection fraction
- public health
- chronic kidney disease
- newly diagnosed
- prognostic factors
- prostate cancer
- robot assisted
- genome wide
- peritoneal dialysis
- small molecule
- protein protein
- copy number
- early life
- deep learning
- radical prostatectomy
- blood brain barrier
- cerebral ischemia
- drug induced