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Elevated Serum Alpha-Fetoprotein Marker For Fanconi's Anaemia
A DGReview of :"Serum [Alpha]-fetoprotein level in Fanconi's anemia: Evaluation of 33 Turkish patients"
American Journal of Hematology
12/19/2002
By Mark Greener
Elevated serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels may be useful as a marker for Fanconi's anaemia.
The levels are associated with a sensitivity and specificity of 46 and 100 percent respectively.
Researchers from Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey, measured serum AFP levels in 17 males and 16 females with Fanconi's anaemia. Patient mean age was 11.6 years, ranging from 1 to 28 years. Nineteen age-matched healthy children, 17 with bone marrow failure, 37 heterozygotes for Fanconi's anaemia, and 37 patients with acute leukaemia acted as controls.
Forty-six percent of patients with Fanconi's anaemia showed serum AFP levels above 8 IU/mL. Levels were within the normal range in all control groups and the remainder of the Fanconi's anaemia group. The authors estimated that the sensitivity and specificity for Fanconi's anaemia were 46 and 100 percent respectively.
No statistically significant differences in several clinical and laboratory measurements emerged between Fanconi's anaemia patients with high and normal AFP levels. Complementation groups, genotype or familial factors did not seem to underlie the elevated serum AFP levels.
On the other hand, serum AFP levels were elevated in 24 and 78 percent of Fanconi's anaemia patients that did not receive androgens and those that did respectively. This difference reached statistical significance. The authors suggested that androgens might contribute to the raised serum AFP levels in Fanconi's anaemia patients.
American Journal of Hematology 2002;71:275-278.
"Serum [Alpha]-fetoprotein level in Fanconi's anemia: Evaluation of 33 Turkish patients"
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