Serum alpha-fetoprotein levels in Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome

We conducted a retrospective study that compared serial alpha-fetoprotein ( AFP) concentrations obtained from 22 children with Beckwitth-Wiedemann synd rome (BWS) with levels established for healthy children. The AFP concentrat ion is greater in patients with BWS and declines during the postnatal per;o d at a significantly slower rate than what is reported in healthy children. AFP levels obtained in the course of routine tumor screening in children w ith BWS should be interpreted with a normal curve established specifically for BWS rather than with previously published data for healthy infants and children.