AFP Test Price in Pakistan: PKR 2,100 at Marham Lab
Also called
AFP testAlpha fetoproteinTotal AFPTumor marker AFPAlpha feto proteinAn AFP tumour marker test costs PKR 2,100 at Marham Lab, down from PKR 3,000. MedlinePlus states providers do not use AFP alone to screen for or diagnose cancer, since high levels often reflect cirrhosis or chronic hepatitis rather than cancer, and some cancers leave AFP normal. Its main use is six monthly liver cancer surveillance with ultrasound in chronic liver disease.
Labs offering the Alpha Feto Protein (AFP) test
| Lab | Price | Book |
|---|---|---|
Marham LabOur lab Home sample · Lahore | Rs. 2,100 Rs. 3,000 | |
Serum Alpha Fetoprotein (AFP) Home sampleNext day | Rs. 2,760 Rs. 3,450 |
How booking works
1. Tap Book
Alpha Feto Protein (AFP) is added to your booking for you.
2. Pick a time
Give your address in Lahore and choose a collection day and time.
3. Sample at home
A phlebotomist comes to your address and takes the sample.
4. Get your report
Your report is ready in the time shown above, and you can see it in your Marham account.
What is the Alpha Feto Protein (AFP) test?
AFP is a protein the liver makes when its cells are growing and dividing. MedlinePlus explains that AFP levels are normally high in a fetus but drop very low after birth, so healthy children and adults who are not pregnant have very little of it in their blood. At Marham Lab an AFP test costs PKR 2,100.
This Is Not a Cancer Screening Test
Say this before anything else, because AFP is widely misunderstood as a way to check yourself for cancer.
MedlinePlus states plainly that because high AFP levels do not always mean cancer, providers do not use the results of an AFP test alone to screen for or diagnose cancer. It can be used alongside other tumour markers and imaging such as ultrasound, CT or MRI, but not by itself.
It cuts both ways. MedlinePlus notes that some people with liver, ovarian or testicular cancer have normal AFP levels, because not all tumours produce this marker. A normal AFP does not rule cancer out.
If you are thinking of booking this test on your own to check for cancer, the honest answer is that it will not give you that answer in either direction. Speak to a doctor about what you are worried about instead.
Why It Matters in Pakistan
There is one situation where AFP is genuinely valuable here, and it is common.
MedlinePlus states that in people with cirrhosis or chronic hepatitis B or C, AFP testing may be used with a liver ultrasound every six months to help detect liver cancer early. It adds that chronic hepatitis or cirrhosis raises your risk of liver cancer, and that a very high AFP or a sudden increase can be an early sign of it.
Given how common chronic [hepatitis C](/labs/tests/hepatitis-c-test-price) and [hepatitis B](/labs/tests/hbsag-test-price) are in Pakistan, that six-monthly pairing with ultrasound is the main legitimate reason most people here will be asked for this test. It is surveillance in a known high-risk group, ordered and interpreted by a doctor, not a general screen.
Non-Cancer Causes of a High AFP
MedlinePlus lists conditions affecting the liver that raise AFP without cancer being present:
- Cirrhosis, meaning scarring of the liver
- Chronic hepatitis B or hepatitis C infection
- Other liver disease
That list is why a raised AFP in someone with known liver disease is expected rather than alarming, and why the trend over time matters more than one value.
What It Is Used For
MedlinePlus lists the uses.
| Use | What the result shows |
|---|---|
| Monitoring cancer and treatment | AFP often rises as tumours grow and falls as they shrink |
| Helping make a prognosis | Levels can indicate how advanced a cancer is and how it may respond to treatment |
| Checking for recurrence after treatment | AFP sometimes rises before symptoms appear |
| Monitoring chronic liver disease | Used with six monthly ultrasound in cirrhosis or chronic hepatitis B or C |
For someone already in treatment, MedlinePlus explains the pattern: rising AFP may mean treatment is not working, falling AFP may mean it is, and unchanged levels may mean the disease is stable.
Symptoms That May Prompt Testing
Do Not Confuse This With the Pregnancy AFP Test
How to Prepare
What Happens During the Test
Final Thoughts
Common questions
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