"[citation needed] Individuals with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), a syndrome of early-onset colonic polyps and adenocarcinoma, frequently develop hepatoblastomas.

[5][6] Also, beta-catenin mutations have been shown to be common in sporadic hepatoblastomas, occurring in as many as 67% of patients.

[8][9] Accumulating evidence suggests that hepatoblastoma is derived from a pluripotent stem cell.

The normal level for AFP in children has been reported as lower than 50 nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml) and 10 ng/ml in adults.

If treatments are successful in removing the cancer, the AFP level is expected to return to normal.