PAEA Surgery End Of Rotation (EOR) Practice Exam

Disable ads (and more) with a membership for a one time $2.99 payment

Prepare for the PAEA Surgery End Of Rotation Exam. Use multiple choice questions, flashcards, and detailed explanations designed to help you succeed. Excel in your test preparation!

Each practice test/flash card set has 50 randomly selected questions from a bank of over 500. You'll get a new set of questions each time!

Practice this question and more.

Alpha-fetoprotein levels are typically elevated in which type of cancer?

Breast cancer
Liver cancer
Colon cancer
Lung cancer

The correct answer is: Liver cancer

Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is a protein that is normally produced by the liver and yolk sac of a developing fetus. In adults, elevated levels of AFP can be an indicator of certain types of cancer, particularly hepatocellular carcinoma, which is a primary form of liver cancer. Elevated AFP levels can also be observed in germ cell tumors, particularly testicular cancer, but liver cancer is the most common malignancy associated with significant rises in AFP levels. In the context of this question, liver cancer is especially relevant because AFP's role as a tumor marker in hepatocellular carcinoma is well established in clinical practice. High levels of AFP can aid in the diagnosis and monitoring of treatment response in patients with liver cancer, making it a critical marker in oncology associated with this disease. The other cancers listed do not typically show the same elevated levels of AFP, which is why they are less relevant regarding the elevation of this specific marker. This direct association between elevated AFP levels and liver cancer underscores the importance of AFP testing in clinical oncology for diagnosing liver malignancies.