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AFP Levels due to Cirrhosis?
Hey everyone,
A couple of months ago we took my father to the ER due to bad stomach pains. They did a catscan, and it was revealed that he (probably) has Cirrhosis. We went for a follow up with his primary care physician, who did blood work and determined that his liver function was okay, but ordered an MRI to confirm the Cirrhosis diagnosis. My father is pretty stubborn, and has been putting off the MRI ever since. This week, he's woken up twice in the middle of the night with cold tremors, along with nausea. My mother finally decided enough was enough, and went to the doctor to pick up the authorization form for the MRI. When she got back I noticed that under the diagnosis area, the doctor had put down elevated AFP levels. A simple Google search revealed to me that elevated AFP levels is a major sign of liver cancer. I haven't informed either of my parents about this because I know it will just make things worse here, but I've been crying all day and feeling majorly depressed. He is definitely going for his MRI on July 7th, but now I'm petrified that they are going to find liver cancer and give him a life sentence.
My question is, do elevated AFP levels automatically mean liver cancer, or could they be elevated due to the Cirrhosis only? I'm asking here because the doctor told me to stay off of Google, so I figured someone on this forum may have a better idea. My father doesn't have any yellowing of the skin/eyes, his urine is fine, and he doesn't have itchy skin. He HAS been losing weight, but we believe that's due to the fact that he's been petrified to eat anything (he was also diagnosed with acute pancreatitis so when he eats something bad it acts up and causes him a lot of pain).
I've done a ton of research on Cirrhosis and I am confident that I can help him change his lifestyle when that comes back confirmed, but there's not much I can do about liver cancer and the survival rate doesn't look too great.
Any help would be appreciated, thank you!
A couple of months ago we took my father to the ER due to bad stomach pains. They did a catscan, and it was revealed that he (probably) has Cirrhosis. We went for a follow up with his primary care physician, who did blood work and determined that his liver function was okay, but ordered an MRI to confirm the Cirrhosis diagnosis. My father is pretty stubborn, and has been putting off the MRI ever since. This week, he's woken up twice in the middle of the night with cold tremors, along with nausea. My mother finally decided enough was enough, and went to the doctor to pick up the authorization form for the MRI. When she got back I noticed that under the diagnosis area, the doctor had put down elevated AFP levels. A simple Google search revealed to me that elevated AFP levels is a major sign of liver cancer. I haven't informed either of my parents about this because I know it will just make things worse here, but I've been crying all day and feeling majorly depressed. He is definitely going for his MRI on July 7th, but now I'm petrified that they are going to find liver cancer and give him a life sentence.
My question is, do elevated AFP levels automatically mean liver cancer, or could they be elevated due to the Cirrhosis only? I'm asking here because the doctor told me to stay off of Google, so I figured someone on this forum may have a better idea. My father doesn't have any yellowing of the skin/eyes, his urine is fine, and he doesn't have itchy skin. He HAS been losing weight, but we believe that's due to the fact that he's been petrified to eat anything (he was also diagnosed with acute pancreatitis so when he eats something bad it acts up and causes him a lot of pain).
I've done a ton of research on Cirrhosis and I am confident that I can help him change his lifestyle when that comes back confirmed, but there's not much I can do about liver cancer and the survival rate doesn't look too great.
Any help would be appreciated, thank you!
Elevated AFP merely raises the possibility of liver cancer but does not automatically mean liver cancer; it might just be due to hepatitis or cirrhosis. There are also other causes of elevated AFP, including but not limited to testicular and ovarian cancer.
Hi again, I looked up MRI's verus CT Scans, found this
Unlike CT scans, which use X-rays, MRI scans use powerful magnetic fields and radio frequency pulses to produce detailed pictures of organs, soft tissues, bone and other internal body structures. Differences between normal and abnormal tissue is often clearer on an MRI image than a CT.
Unlike CT scans, which use X-rays, MRI scans use powerful magnetic fields and radio frequency pulses to produce detailed pictures of organs, soft tissues, bone and other internal body structures. Differences between normal and abnormal tissue is often clearer on an MRI image than a CT.
Hi, Lynn has given you excellent information. When a test is done the doctor has to write a diagnosis to justify the test. After I was cured of HepC the doctor kept writing HepC as the justification for my blood work and ultrasounds. I would think the Cat Scan would have been enough of a diagnostic tool however I'm not a doctor. Like Lynn, every 6 months I get a sonogram and blood work to test the AFP. It is confusing, if the doctor told you the blood work was find but then wrote AFP high. Confusing. Good luck!
Yes the nutritionist is the way to go.
As far as the cirrhosis and diet a heart friendly diet is also a liver friendly diet. You could look up heart smart diet. Also limit salt and no alcohol. Use caution with OTC pain meds and anything else.
Tylenol is recommended for pain for those with cirrhosis but keep to less than 1200 mg/day and Tylenol is often if other medicines so very easy to unintended take more than you though you were.
Is he going to be treated for hep c now?
The new medicines could be as simple as one pill a day for 12 weeks or for your dad if he has treated before he could be prescribed 24 weeks as I was.
I am not doing anything special actually not following my own advise. So-so diet and need to get to the gym but too busy. I need to drop at least 25 lbs ah well it is what it is
Best to you both
As far as the cirrhosis and diet a heart friendly diet is also a liver friendly diet. You could look up heart smart diet. Also limit salt and no alcohol. Use caution with OTC pain meds and anything else.
Tylenol is recommended for pain for those with cirrhosis but keep to less than 1200 mg/day and Tylenol is often if other medicines so very easy to unintended take more than you though you were.
Is he going to be treated for hep c now?
The new medicines could be as simple as one pill a day for 12 weeks or for your dad if he has treated before he could be prescribed 24 weeks as I was.
I am not doing anything special actually not following my own advise. So-so diet and need to get to the gym but too busy. I need to drop at least 25 lbs ah well it is what it is
Best to you both
Yes liver tumors would show up in a CAT scan.
The AFP test is only suggestive not a good diagnostic tool for diagnosing HCC that is why it is used in concert with imaging studies like ultra sound and CAT scan.
The main thing the look for with AFP is a dramatic increase so for example my test of 10 if it increased significantly without explanation that could be cause for concern. I would expect if his level is less than 100 I would not be alarmed concerned possible buy would need further testing which he has had with the CAT scan
Just to add I was diagnosed with cirrhosis in Jan 200 8and am still going strong. If his cirrhosis is due to alcohol if he is able to stop drinking his liver if not to badly damaged may be able to heal with time.
He can still live a long and full life.
The AFP test is only suggestive not a good diagnostic tool for diagnosing HCC that is why it is used in concert with imaging studies like ultra sound and CAT scan.
The main thing the look for with AFP is a dramatic increase so for example my test of 10 if it increased significantly without explanation that could be cause for concern. I would expect if his level is less than 100 I would not be alarmed concerned possible buy would need further testing which he has had with the CAT scan
Just to add I was diagnosed with cirrhosis in Jan 200 8and am still going strong. If his cirrhosis is due to alcohol if he is able to stop drinking his liver if not to badly damaged may be able to heal with time.
He can still live a long and full life.
1 Comments
Thanks again. His cirrhosis is actually due to hepatitis C he got when he was younger. He's never really been a big drinker, except for the occasional glass of wine or beer at a family function. He notices now that if he does drink either a beer or a glass of wine, he ends up with terrible stomach pains (that's probably due to the pancreatitis).. Now he won't drink any form of alcohol, so that's a positive. The main problem now is his diet.. Were not sure what he can eat and what he can't eat for both illnesses, but hopefully a nutritionist can help with that. Because of not knowing what to eat, he's lost a lot of weight.
Glad to hear you're doing so well with the cirrhosis. Keep doing whatever you're doing - you can live a long time with the diagnosis!
Glad to hear you're doing so well with the cirrhosis. Keep doing whatever you're doing - you can live a long time with the diagnosis!
AFP can be elevated in cirrhosis but with liver cancer it is much higher. Also AFP is not a great indicator of liver cancer so it is used in conjuction with abdominal ultrasound or other imagining to look fo rsigns of liver cancer.
Fot those of us with cirrhosis we need to be monitored every 6 months for early signs of liver cancer so it can be caught early.
If liver cancer (HCC) is a secondary cancer a cancer that had metastasized from another type of cancer yes the prognosis can be poor. But with cirrhosis and having liver cancer as a primary cancer if the patient was already on the transplant list having HCC will move them up if not listed prior they will go on the transplant list.
However there are a number of factors for liver transplant eligibility for one abstaining from alcohol completely probably for at least 6 months. Also their general health to indicate they can survive the transplant procedure.
My cirrhosis is due to having hep c for 37 years. I am now cured but will still have to live with having a damaged liver for quite a while if not for the rest of my life. My AFP before treatment was 26.6 with 0-8.3 being normal now that I am cured it is around 10.8 still slightly above normal so this is to give you an idea of numbers. I have seen in HCC AFP get high into the 500 range.
You will want to keep copies of his results or if available they may have online access that is how I know my results.
Often the first sign of cirrhosis is lower leg swelling called edema or pitting edema. The person can also develop ascities fluid retention in the abdomen that can over time become so pronounced the patient will look pregnant and need to have this excess fluid drained. Yellow skin or jaundice is caused by elevated bilirubin levels and is a sign of later stage cirrhosis not seen so much in the early stages of cirrhosis.
He will need to have an upper endoscopy to look for esophageal varicies enlarged blood vessels in the swallowing tube caused by back pressure of the blood passing through the liver .this is called portal hypertension. Some indications of portal hypertension are and enlarged spleen (seen on abdominal ultrasound) which in turn causes sequestering of blood platelets noted on a CBC (complete blood count test) so having a low platelet count can also indicate cirrhosis. My platelet count has been around 80 to 90 with minimum normal at 150.
I hope he is seeing a hepatologist associated with a liver transplant center they are best equipped to help a patient with cirrhosis.
You will also want to find out his MELD score (Model For End-Stage Liver Disease) that is how they determine placement on the liver transplant list. Most centers won't list a patient until they have a MELD of at least 15. Most patients have a MELD of around 30 before they are able to get a transplant depending on which center they are listed at.
Please come back with any questions you have and get his test results so you can get a better idea where he is and most importantly ask his doctor they are the experts in his care and know his individual situation.
My best to you both
Fot those of us with cirrhosis we need to be monitored every 6 months for early signs of liver cancer so it can be caught early.
If liver cancer (HCC) is a secondary cancer a cancer that had metastasized from another type of cancer yes the prognosis can be poor. But with cirrhosis and having liver cancer as a primary cancer if the patient was already on the transplant list having HCC will move them up if not listed prior they will go on the transplant list.
However there are a number of factors for liver transplant eligibility for one abstaining from alcohol completely probably for at least 6 months. Also their general health to indicate they can survive the transplant procedure.
My cirrhosis is due to having hep c for 37 years. I am now cured but will still have to live with having a damaged liver for quite a while if not for the rest of my life. My AFP before treatment was 26.6 with 0-8.3 being normal now that I am cured it is around 10.8 still slightly above normal so this is to give you an idea of numbers. I have seen in HCC AFP get high into the 500 range.
You will want to keep copies of his results or if available they may have online access that is how I know my results.
Often the first sign of cirrhosis is lower leg swelling called edema or pitting edema. The person can also develop ascities fluid retention in the abdomen that can over time become so pronounced the patient will look pregnant and need to have this excess fluid drained. Yellow skin or jaundice is caused by elevated bilirubin levels and is a sign of later stage cirrhosis not seen so much in the early stages of cirrhosis.
He will need to have an upper endoscopy to look for esophageal varicies enlarged blood vessels in the swallowing tube caused by back pressure of the blood passing through the liver .this is called portal hypertension. Some indications of portal hypertension are and enlarged spleen (seen on abdominal ultrasound) which in turn causes sequestering of blood platelets noted on a CBC (complete blood count test) so having a low platelet count can also indicate cirrhosis. My platelet count has been around 80 to 90 with minimum normal at 150.
I hope he is seeing a hepatologist associated with a liver transplant center they are best equipped to help a patient with cirrhosis.
You will also want to find out his MELD score (Model For End-Stage Liver Disease) that is how they determine placement on the liver transplant list. Most centers won't list a patient until they have a MELD of at least 15. Most patients have a MELD of around 30 before they are able to get a transplant depending on which center they are listed at.
Please come back with any questions you have and get his test results so you can get a better idea where he is and most importantly ask his doctor they are the experts in his care and know his individual situation.
My best to you both
1 Comments
Thanks so much for the reply. I'm sorry about your Cirrhosis diagnosis, but I'm happy that you've been keeping it in check.
His liver function tests all came back okay - but reading that AFP report freaked me out. It doesn't specify the numbers next to it, so I e-mailed the doctor tonight asking if he can provide those to me for the time being. I really hate Google, because it always points to the worse case.. All day I've been crying in my bed thinking that he has liver cancer and will die in a year - It's a horrible feeling.
I don't think he has leg swelling yet.. The only reason we know he has the Cirrhosis is from the catscan they did in the hospital. Would cancer show up on a catscan? The results on the scan say: irregular liver formation, suggestive of Cirrhosis. There is nothing about cancer at all.
Thanks for your help, you have no idea how much better you made me feel for the first time today.
His liver function tests all came back okay - but reading that AFP report freaked me out. It doesn't specify the numbers next to it, so I e-mailed the doctor tonight asking if he can provide those to me for the time being. I really hate Google, because it always points to the worse case.. All day I've been crying in my bed thinking that he has liver cancer and will die in a year - It's a horrible feeling.
I don't think he has leg swelling yet.. The only reason we know he has the Cirrhosis is from the catscan they did in the hospital. Would cancer show up on a catscan? The results on the scan say: irregular liver formation, suggestive of Cirrhosis. There is nothing about cancer at all.
Thanks for your help, you have no idea how much better you made me feel for the first time today.
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