Summary & Overview
CPT 82107: Total AFP with AFP‑L3 Fraction and Ratio
CPT code 82107 identifies a laboratory assay measuring total alpha fetoprotein (AFP) with quantification of the AFP-L3 fraction and calculation of the AFP-L3/total AFP ratio. This test has clinical relevance in oncology and hepatology as a tumor-marker assay used in surveillance and risk stratification for hepatocellular carcinoma and other AFP-associated conditions. Nationally, accurate reporting of this CPT code supports consistent lab billing, clinical tracking of AFP trends, and alignment with laboratory reporting practices.
Key payers addressed include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find an explanation of the clinical purpose of the test, typical sites where the service is performed, and what the code denotes in billing practice. The publication provides benchmarks and context for laboratory service lines, highlights common modifiers used with laboratory CPT coding, and outlines clinical context for AFP and AFP-L3 testing. It also flags areas where input data was not available, such as associated taxonomies, ICD-10 diagnoses, and related codes, which are noted as Data not available in the input. The summary equips payers, billing professionals, and clinical laboratory managers with a concise reference for CPT code 82107’s clinical meaning and operational context.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 82107 describes a laboratory procedure in which the technical component measures total alpha fetoprotein (AFP) in serum and quantifies the AFP-L3 fraction, reporting the ratio of AFP-L3 to total AFP. This test is a targeted clinical laboratory service used to evaluate tumor markers, commonly for surveillance and risk assessment in patients with liver disease and suspected hepatocellular carcinoma.
Service Type: Clinical laboratory test — tumor marker assay
Typical Site of Service: Clinical laboratory or hospital laboratory (blood specimen/serum testing)
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A 58-year-old man with chronic hepatitis C and cirrhosis presents for routine surveillance for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). He is seen in an outpatient hepatology clinic; the clinician orders laboratory surveillance including alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) testing with AFP L3 fraction to improve detection of HCC in a patient with known risk factors. A phlebotomist obtains a serum sample, which is sent to the core laboratory. The laboratory analyst performs the technical assay to measure total AFP and separates/measures the L3 glycoform fraction, calculating the percentage ratio of AFP-L3 to total AFP. Results are routed electronically to the ordering hepatologist and entered in the electronic medical record with the analytic report and interpretive numeric values. Typical site of service is an outpatient laboratory or hospital central laboratory associated with an ambulatory hepatology clinic or inpatient service when surveillance or diagnostic evaluation is ordered during hospitalization.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
26 | Professional component | Use when reporting only the physician’s interpretive component if applicable (rare for AFP analytic test). |
TC | Technical component |