AFP

AFP is a specific blood protein, the main role of which is to ensure the normal development of the fetus during pregnancy. It is also an oncomarker. In medical practice, AFP is used in 2 areas: oncology and obstetrics.

In obstetrics: In the first weeks of pregnancy, AFP is produced in the yellow body of the mother's ovary. From the fifth week, the fetus becomes able to independently produce AFP, which performs important functions:

• The transport of substances from the mother's blood to the fetus blood (polyunsaturated fatty acids);
• Immunosuppression – preventing rejection of the fetus by the mother's immune system;

Therefore, if the level of AFP does not correspond to the period of pregnancy, then this indicates some fetus pathologies.

In oncology: AFP in the blood of a non–pregnant person is considered an oncomarker, a protein that is synthesized by tumor tissue. In other words, AFP reflects a person's risk of cancer. It is generally believed that with oncological diseases of the liver and ovaries, AFP enters the blood from the tumor.

This method is used as a screening method for examining patients for the presence of cancer processes in the body. However, the detection of AFP in the blood does not confirm the diagnosis of cancer, but only indicates the need for a more detailed, reliable and complex examination to detect a tumor at an early stage of its development.

Timely detection of a tumor is the key to its effective treatment.

Read also: "What oncomarkers can tell you", "Women's cancer profile", "10 main cancer symptoms worth knowing about"