At a glance
| Analyte | Alpha-fetoprotein |
|---|---|
| Also called | Alpha fetoprotein, Alpha-1-fetoprotein |
| Method | Two-site sandwich chemiluminescence immunoassay |
| Sample type | Serum, Plasma |
| Panel | Tumour marker |
| Discipline | CLIA immunoassay |
| Brand | Mindray |
What AFP measures
Alpha-fetoprotein is a protein produced in quantity by the fetal liver and yolk sac, and it is measured in two very different settings. In adults it is used in monitoring and follow-up of liver conditions under a physician’s direction, and interpreted as a trend rather than as a single value, since it is also raised in a range of benign liver disorders. In pregnancy it is measured for entirely separate reasons and interpreted against gestational age, which makes the same analyte a different test with different reference points. Because it is raised in benign hepatic disease as well, a result in an adult is read alongside liver function testing and imaging rather than on its own.
How Philippine laboratories run it
Chronic hepatitis B is common in the Philippines, and patients under long-term hepatology follow-up account for most adult AFP requests, which are typically repeated at intervals on the same patient list. That gives the assay a predictable base demand in hospitals with a hepatology or gastroenterology service. The obstetric use is a separate stream with its own interpretation, and laboratories offering both need to be clear which context a request belongs to, because a value that is ordinary in pregnancy would be reported quite differently in a non-pregnant adult.
Analyzers it runs on
Calibrator, controls and companion tests
Delivered with the rest of the tumour marker panel, on the same schedule as AFP.
Storage and handling
Refrigerated, upright, and not frozen.
Buying AFP in the Philippines
AFP is supplied for the CL-2600i and CL-900i. We deliver it with CEA and CA 19-9, because a run held up waiting on a separate order costs the same shift a stock-out does. Delivery is scheduled against your monthly AFP count, so the bench is not rationing tests in the last week of the month. How we plan clia immunoassay supply.
Questions about AFP
Why is AFP raised in patients without malignancy?
Because a range of benign liver conditions raise it, including hepatitis and cirrhosis, and it is physiologically high in pregnancy. That is why it is used for monitoring and follow-up under a physician’s direction rather than as a standalone answer, and why a raised result is read alongside liver function tests and imaging rather than acted on by itself.
Order AFP
Tell us your monthly AFP volume and we will quote a supply schedule for CL-2600i. We reply within one business day.
Request a quotation