BACKGROUND: My husband has Hepatitis C and chirosis. He did a year treatment with interferon & riboviron. It lowered his viral load but did not get him into the undetectable range. He has been doing an herbal regimen for some time (Silymarin etc.). He just had blood work results come back and his liver enzyme levels have elevated and his viral load has doubled since the last blood work. His doctor has ordered the Schering Peg/Riboviron treatment and he is on the waiting list (Dr. said 8-10 weeks).
 
CURRENT QUESTION: My husband's test for Alpha Feto Protein came back "slightly elevated"--it is 11.4 and the doctor said normal is 8.4 for this lab. The Dr. said this can be an indicator of liver cancer and has ordered a CAT scan. Needless to say, this is very scary. Are there other conditions or factors that can cause the Alpha Feto Protein levels to be elevated? If it is liver cancer, what are the treatment options?
 
Thank you,
 

The most common cause of mild AFP elevations is simply the HCV itself. the scan is warranted, but in most cases does not reveal a diagnosis of cancer. we usually become more concerned when the AFP keeps rising, so followup tests will be very helpful.