Albumin-Bilirubin Score vs Model for End-Stage Liver Disease in Predicting Post-Hepatectomy Outcomes

Dynamic ALBI score and FIB-4 index trends to predict complications after resection of hepatocellular carcinoma: A K-means clustering approach

BACKGROUND

Severe postoperative complications still occur following hepatectomy among patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). There is a need to identify high-risk patients for severe complications to enhance patient safety. We sought to evaluate the combined impact of pre- and postoperative albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) score and Fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) index trends to predict severe complications after HCC resection.

METHOD

Patients with HCC undergoing curative-intent hepatectomy (2000-2023) were identified from an international, multi-institutional database. The cohort was divided into training (n = 439) and testing (n = 651) sets. ALBI score and FIB-4 index trends from preoperative to postoperative days 1, 3, and 5 were used for K-means clustering (K = 3). A logistic regression model was developed using the training set, and its performance was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) in both cohorts.

RESULTS

Severe complications (Clavien-Dindo Grade ≥ IIIa) occurred in 118 patients (10.8 %); 43 (9.8 %) in training and 75 (11.5 %) in testing set (p = 0.42). K-means clustering identified three groups: Cluster1 (low), Cluster2 (intermediate), and Cluster3 (high), which was associated with a progressively increasing risk of complications (p < 0.01). On multivariable logistic regression, patients in ALBI Cluster1 had 76 % decreased odds (odds ratio[OR] 0.24, 95 % CI 0.07-0.83, p = 0.02) of postoperative complications relative to Cluster3 patients. Individuals categorized into FIB-4 Cluster1 had 85 % decreased odds (OR 0.15, 95 % CI 0.02-1.24, p = 0.07) versus patients in FIB-4 Cluster3. A new prediction model incorporating ALBI and FIB-4 index clusters achieved an AUC of 0.71, outperforming models based on preoperative data. A tool was made available at https://nm49jf-miho-akabane.shinyapps.io/HCC_ALBI/.

CONCLUSION

A dynamic ALBI score and FIB-4 index trend tool improved risk stratification of patients undergoing resection of HCC relative to severe complications.

Potential of the albumin-bilirubin score to predict the hepatic parenchymal contrast enhancement in the portal phase of abdominal dynamic contrast-enhanced multi-detector computed tomography in patients with liver cirrhosis

The albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) score was recently used to predict hepatic reserve. This score is a continuous variable that is used to determine cutoff values and is easily calculated from albumin and bilirubin levels alone. Thus, we aimed to investigate whether the ALBI score could predict a decreased hepatic parenchymal contrast enhancement (HPCE) during the portal phase of dynamic multi-detector computed tomography in patients with liver cirrhosis (LC). We retrospectively investigated Pearson's correlation between the HPCE and ALBI score in 26 patients diagnosed with liver cirrhosis. We classified the patients into those with HPCE < 50 HU or ≥ 50 HU and investigated whether the ALBI score differed significantly between these two groups. Furthermore, we used receiver operating characteristic curve analysis to determine the appropriate cutoff value of ALBI score for predicting LC patients with HPCE < 50 HU and ascertained the related area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity. The HPCE and ALBI score correlated significantly (r = -0.496, P = 0.0098). The ALBI score differed significantly between groups with HPCE < 50 HU and ≥ 50 HU (P = 0.0012). The cutoff value of the ALBI score for detecting LC patients with HPCE < 50 HU was -2.14, with an AUC, sensitivity, and specificity of 0.906, 83%, and 87%, respectively. In conclusion, the ALBI score is related to the HPCE during the portal phase in LC patients, and a cutoff value of ALBI score of -2.14 can predict the HPCE < 50 HU in LC patients.

Effect of probiotics on prognosis in patients with hepatectomy: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effect of perioperative probiotics on prognosis in patients with hepatectomy.

METHOD

By conducting a computer-based search of electronic databases to collect randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the use of probiotics in the perioperative period for patients undergoing liver resection. Two researchers independently screened the literature, extracted data, assessed bias risk, and performed a meta-analysis using RevMan 5.4 software.

RESULT

A total of 988 patients were enrolled across 14 studies. The results of the meta-analysis revealed that the probiotics group had lower rates of postoperative infectious complications (OR = 0.49; 95%CI 0.49 to 0.60; P < 0.01), serum endotoxin levels (SMD= -0.69; 95%CI -1.27 to -0.11; P = 0.02), white blood cell counts (SMD= -0.37; 95%CI -0.67 to -0.061.47; P = 0.02), hospital stays (SMD= -0.85; 95%CI -1.53 to -0.18; P = 0.01), and first postoperative exhaust times (SMD= -0.85; 95%CI -1.53 to -0.18; P = 0.01) compared to the control group. No significant differences in liver function indices (alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total bilirubin (TBiL) and international normalized ratio (INR)) or postoperative inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin, interleukin-6 (IL-6)) were found between the two groups (all P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Probiotics used perioperatively can lower postoperative infection risk and shorten hospital stays for hepatectomy patients, but they do not appear to aid in liver function restoration or inflammation reduction.

CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER

Not applicable.

Interpretable machine learning model for predicting post-hepatectomy liver failure in hepatocellular carcinoma

Post-hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) is a severe complication following liver surgery. We aimed to develop a novel, interpretable machine learning (ML) model to predict PHLF. We enrolled 312 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients who underwent hepatectomy, and 30% of the samples were utilized for internal validation. Variable selection was performed using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression in conjunction with random forest and recursive feature elimination (RF-RFE) algorithms. Subsequently, 12 distinct ML algorithms were employed to identify the optimal prediction model. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, calibration curves, and decision curve analysis (DCA) were utilized to assess the model's predictive accuracy. Additionally, an independent prospective validation was conducted with 62 patients. The SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) analysis further explained the extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) model. The XGBoost model exhibited the highest accuracy with AUCs of 0.983 and 0.981 in the training and validation cohorts among 12 ML models. Calibration curves and DCA confirmed the model's accuracy and clinical applicability. Compared with traditional models, the XGBoost model had a higher AUC. The prospective cohort (AUC = 0.942) further confirmed the generalization ability of the XGBoost model. SHAP identified the top three critical variables: total bilirubin (TBIL), MELD score, and ICG-R15. Moreover, the SHAP summary plot was used to illustrate the positive or negative effects of the features as influenced by XGBoost. The XGBoost model provides a good preoperative prediction of PHLF in patients with resectable HCC.

ALBI-sarcopenia score as a predictor of treatment outcomes in hepatocellular carcinoma

The recently developed ALBI-Sarcopenia score has demonstrated effectiveness in predicting mortality in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), emerging as a crucial factor in guiding treatment decisions. To assess the utility of the ALBI-Sarcopenia score in predicting the success of HCC treatment. A prospective study involving 262 liver cirrhosis with HCC patients were assigned to various treatment strategies according to Barcelona clinics of liver disease (BCLC) classification. Patients were followed up for 12 months reporting laboratory data, sarcopenia, ALBI-Sarcopenia score, and outcomes. Sarcopenia was prevalent in 43.1% (48.35% males and 31.25% females, P = 0.042). Most patients were HCV-positive (88.9%) and classified as CTP A (55.7%) or BCLC B (54.2%). Over the study period, TACE was the most administered treatment (41.2% at baseline), followed by a progressive shift toward best supportive care as disease severity increased. Complete response rates declined from 31.7% at 1 month to 21.4% at 12 months, while progressive disease rates increased from 21.8 to 37.8% over the same period. At 12 months, the ALBI-Sarcopenia score demonstrated the highest predictive accuracy for treatment response (AUC:0.69, p = 0.001), outperforming both the ALBI (AUC: 0.631, p = 0.001) and MELD (AUC:0.623, p = 0.003) scores. Logistic regression identified ALBI-Sarcopenia as a significant independent predictor of response at 1 month (OR:1.25, 95% CI:0.881-1.971, p = 0.002) and 12 months (OR:2.189, 95% CI:0.992-4.937, p = 0.001). The ALBI-Sarcopenia score is a robust predictor of treatment outcomes in HCC, offering superior prognostic accuracy compared to traditional scoring systems, and enhancing patient stratification for optimized treatment planning.

Development and validation of the albumin-bilirubin gamma-glutamyl transferase score for enhanced prognostic accuracy after hepatocellular carcinoma resection

BACKGROUND

The albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) score, used for predicting outcomes after hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) resection, does not directly capture liver cell damage or biliary obstruction. Gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), which reflects hepatic oxidative stress and inflammation, may complement the ALBI score. We sought to develop the ALBI-GGT score, a composite prognostic tool, and evaluate its performance to predict long-term outcomes among patients undergoing HCC resection.

METHODS

Patients undergoing curative-intent HCC resection (2000-2023) were identified from an international, multi-institutional database. The cohort was divided into training (65%) and testing cohorts (35%). Multivariable Cox analysis examined the association of ALBI-GGT score with overall survival (OS).

RESULTS

Among 759 patients, the median ALBI score was -2.78 (-3.02 to -2.48), and the median GGT was 55.0 U/L (31.0-93.0). On multivariable analysis, ALBI score (hazard ratio [HR], 1.473 [1.112-1.950]; P =.007) and GGT (HR, 1.007 [1.004-1.010]; P <.001) were predictors of overall mortality, alongside tumor burden score (HR, 1.051 [1.015-1.090]; P =.006) and American Society of Anesthesiologists class >2 (HR, 1.473 [1.005-2.161]; P =.047). There was a near-linear correlation between increasing ALBI scores and GGT and higher hazards of death. The ALBI-GGT score demonstrated the highest predictive accuracy in the testing set (concordance index, 0.68 [0.58-0.72]), outperforming the ALBI score (0.62 [0.56-0.69]) and GGT (0.65 [0.58-0.72]). The ALBI-GGT achieved the lowest Akaike and Bayesian information criteria. Time-dependent area under the curve (AUC) analysis demonstrated consistent superiority over 0 to 60 months. At 1-, 3-, and 5-years, the ALBI-GGT score had AUCs of 0.782, 0.725, and 0.688, respectively, outperforming ALBI score and GGT. The ALBI-GGT score was able to stratify patients into distinct prognostic groups (5-year OS, low ALBI-GGT [85.0%] vs intermediate ALBI-GGT [65.8%] vs high ALBI-GGT [56.8%]; P <.001).

CONCLUSION

ALBI score alone may be insufficient to prognostically stratify patients with HCC. Combining ALBI score with GGT was a superior tool to stratify patients relative to long-term survival.

Controlled low central venous pressure maintenance level during laparoscopic hepatectomy negatively associated with PHLF incidence: a retrospective propensity score matching study

BACKGROUND

Posthepatectomy liver failure (PHLF), the most serious complication after hepatectomy, may evoke multisystemic complications and even mortality. Despite numerous studies demonstrated the safety and efficacy of controlled low central venous pressure (CLCVP), the optimal central venous pressure (CVP) maintenance level during CLCVP and its relationship with PHLF remain controversial. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the association between the lowest CVP maintenance level during CLCVP and PHLF.

METHODS

755 patients who underwent laparoscopic hepatectomy at Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital between January 2017 and March 2021 were recruited. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine the effect of the lowest CVP maintenance level on PHLF. After implementing propensity score matching (PSM) to equalize demographic confounders, univariate comparisons and subgroup analyses were conducted to investigate the impact of the lowest CVP maintenance level on PHLF in patients who underwent CLCVP.

RESULTS

Univariate and multivariate analyses identified intraoperative lowest CVP maintenance level < 2 mmHg as an independent risk factor for PHLF (P = 0.041; OR, 0.520; 95% CI 0.277 to 0.974). Following 1:1 PSM in individuals who received CLCVP, the lowest CVP maintenance level < 2 mmHg was associated with heightened PHLF incidence (P = 0.048) and elevated intraoperative lactate level (P = 0.011). Subgroup analyses revealed that the above effect of the lowest CVP maintenance level occurred mainly in elderly individuals or those with prolonged portal blockade.

CONCLUSION

During laparoscopic hepatectomy, excessively low CVP maintenance level should be avoided to decrease the risk of tissue malperfusion and PHLF, especially in elderly or prolonged portal blockade patients.

Genetic alteration of SLCO1B3 defines constitutional indocyanine green excretory defect in patients who underwent hepatectomy

Aim

Constitutional indocyanine green (ICG) excretory defects must be distinguished when assessing liver function. The absence of OATP1B3 expression due to homogenous alterations in the SLCO1B3 gene has been recently reported to induce ICG excretory defects; however, its association with the clinical examinations and the clinical implications of heterogeneous SLCO1B3 gene alteration remain unclear.

Methods

OATP1B3 expression was evaluated in 49 patients who underwent hepatectomy after evaluation of the ICG retention rate at 15 min (ICGR15) and technetium‐99 m‐galactosyl serum albumin (99mTc‐GSA) hepatic scintigraphy. Additionally, alterations in SLCO1B3 were analyzed in patients without OATP1B3 expression. Subsequently, 59 patients who underwent hepatectomy for colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM) were analyzed.

Results

Of 49 patients, 6 (12%) had absent OATP1B3 expression. They had significantly higher ICGR15 value (74.7% vs. 23.5%; p < 0.0001), better modified albumin–bilirubin (ALBI) grade (≤grade 2A, 100% vs. 42%; p = 0.010), more normal 99mTc‐GSA hepatic scintigraphy (100% vs. 28%; p = 0.0003), and better pathological liver fibrosis (F0–1, 100% vs. 49%; p = 0.027) compared to those with OATP1B3 expression. Three available frozen blocks of cases without OATP1B3 expression showed homozygous alterations in SLCO1B3. Of 59 patients with CRLM in normal liver background, five (8.5%) had heterozygous insertion in SLCO1B3, however they had no difference in ICGR15 values or other clinical findings compared to the other patients.

Conclusions

Constitutional ICG excretory defects may be defined by the complete absence of OATP1B3 expression. The modified ALBI grade and 99mTc‐GSA hepatic scintigraphy were useful for detecting constitutional ICG excretory defects.

Machine learning models including preoperative and postoperative albumin-bilirubin score: short-term outcomes among patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND

We sought to assess the impact of various perioperative factors on the risk of severe complications and post-surgical mortality using a novel maching learning technique.

METHODS

Data on patients undergoing resection for HCC were obtained from an international, multi-institutional database between 2000 and 2020. Gradient boosted trees were utilized to construct predictive models.

RESULTS

Among 962 patients who underwent HCC resection, the incidence of severe postoperative complications was 12.7% (n = 122); in-hospital mortality was 2.9% (n = 28). Models that exclusively used preoperative data achieved AUC values of 0.89 (95%CI 0.85 to 0.92) and 0.90 (95%CI 0.84 to 0.96) to predict severe complications and mortality, respectively. Models that combined preoperative and postoperative data achieved AUC values of 0.93 (95%CI 0.91 to 0.96) and 0.92 (95%CI 0.86 to 0.97) for severe morbidity and mortality, respectively. The SHAP algorithm demonstrated that the factor most strongly predictive of severe morbidity and mortality was postoperative day 1 and 3 albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) scores.

CONCLUSION

Incorporation of perioperative data including ALBI scores using ML techniques can help risk-stratify patients undergoing resection of HCC.

Current strategies for predicting post-hepatectomy liver failure and a new ultrasound-based nomogram

Liver cancer is associated with a few factors, such as viruses and alcohol consumption, and hepatectomy is an important treatment for patients with liver cancer. However, post-hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) is the most serious complication and has a high mortality rate. Effective prediction of PHLF allows for the adjustment of clinical treatment strategies and is critical to the long-term prognosis of patients. Many factors have been associated with the development of PHLF, so there is an increasing interest in the development of predictive models for PHLF, such as nomograms that integrate intra-operative factors, imaging and biochemical characteristics of the patient. Ultrasound, as a simple and important examination method, plays an important role in predicting PHLF, especially the Nomogram established based on ultrasound measurements of liver stiffness and spleen area provides a more convenient way to predict the occurrence of PHLF.

Major liver resections, perioperative issues and posthepatectomy liver failure: A comprehensive update for the anesthesiologist

Significant advances in surgical techniques and relevant medium- and long-term outcomes over the past two decades have led to a substantial expansion in the indications for major liver resections. To support these outstanding results and to reduce perioperative complications, anesthesiologists must address and master key perioperative issues (preoperative assessment, proactive intraoperative anesthesia strategies, and implementation of the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery approach). Intensive care unit monitoring immediately following liver surgery remains a subject of active and often unresolved debate. Among postoperative complications, posthepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) occurs in different grades of severity (A-C) and frequency (9%-30%), and it is the main cause of 90-d postoperative mortality. PHLF, recently redefined with pragmatic clinical criteria and perioperative scores, can be predicted, prevented, or anticipated. This review highlights: (1) The systemic consequences of surgical manipulations anesthesiologists must respond to or prevent, to positively impact PHLF (a proactive approach); and (2) the maximal intensive treatment of PHLF, including artificial options, mainly based, so far, on Acute Liver Failure treatment(s), to buy time waiting for the recovery of the native liver or, when appropriate and in very selected cases, toward liver transplant. Such a clinical context requires a strong commitment to surgeons, anesthesiologists, and intensivists to work together, for a fruitful collaboration in a mandatory clinical continuum.

Prediction of post-hepatectomy liver failure by preoperative gadoxetate disodium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging

BACKGROUND

Approximately 15% of patients experience post-hepatectomy liver failure after major hepatectomy. Poor hepatocyte uptake of gadoxetate disodium, a magnetic resonance imaging contrast agent, may be a predictor of post-hepatectomy liver failure.

METHODS

A retrospective cohort study of patients undergoing major hepatectomy (≥3 segments) with a preoperative gadoxetate disodium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging was conducted. The liver signal intensity (standardized to the spleen) and the functional liver remnant was calculated to determine if this can predict post-hepatectomy liver failure after major hepatectomy.

RESULTS

In 134 patients, low signal intensity of the remnant liver standardized by signal intensity of the spleen in post-contrast images was associated with post-hepatectomy liver failure in multiple logistic regression analysis (Odds Ratio 0.112; 95% CI 0.023-0.551). In a subgroup of 33 patients with lower quartile of functional liver remnant, area under the curve analysis demonstrated a diagnostic accuracy of functional liver remnant to predict post-hepatectomy liver failure of 0.857 with a cut-off value for functional liver remnant of 1.4985 with 80.0% sensitivity and 89.3% specificity.

CONCLUSION

Functional liver remnant determined by gadoxetate disodium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging is a predictor of post-hepatectomy liver failure which may help identify patients for resection, reducing morbidity and mortality.

Colectomy in patients with liver disease: albumin-bilirubin score accurately predicts outcomes

BACKGROUND

Patients with liver disease undergoing colectomy have higher rates of complications and mortality. The Albumin-Bilirubin score is a recently developed system, established to predict outcomes after hepatectomy, that accounts for liver dysfunction.

METHODS

All patients undergoing colectomy were identified in the 2015-2018 American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program colectomy-targeted database. Demographics and outcomes were compared between patients with Albumin-Bilirubin Grade 1 vs. 2/3. Multivariable regression was performed for outcomes including colorectal-specific complications. Areas under the receiver operative characteristic curves were calculated to determine accuracy of the Albumin-Bilirubin score.

RESULTS

Of 86,273 patients identified, 48% (N = 41,624) were Albumin-Bilirubin Grade 1, 45% (N = 38,370) Grade 2 and 7% (N = 6,279) Grade 3. Patents with Grade 2/3 compared to Grade 1 had significantly increased mortality (7.2% vs. 0.9%, p < 0.001) and serious morbidity (31% vs. 12%, p < 0.001). Colorectal-specific complications including anastomotic leak (3.7% vs. 2.8%, p < 0.001) and prolonged ileus (26% vs. 14%, p < 0.001) were higher in patients with Grade 2/3. Grade 2/3 had increased risk of mortality (odds ratio 3.07, p < 0.001) and serious morbidity (1.78, p < 0.001). Albumin-Bilirubin had excellent accuracy in predicting mortality (area under the curve 0.81, p < 0.001) and serious morbidity (0.70, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Albumin-Bilirubin is easily calculated using only serum albumin and total bilirubin values. Grade 2/3 is associated with increased rates of mortality and morbidity following colectomy. Albumin-Bilirubin can be applied to risk-stratify patients prior to colectomy.

Longitudinal analysis of liver transplant candidates for hepatocellular carcinoma in a single center

BACKGROUND

Wailitst lost is an critical issue and we investigated the long-term effect of insufficient liver functional reserve at liver transplantation evaluation on waitlist outcomes in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

METHODS

Clinical data of patients with HCC waitlisted for liver transplantation were retrospectively collected from a single hospital cohort during the period from 2014 to 2021. Parameters of liver reserve, including cirrhosis, Child-Pugh grade, and Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) scores, were analyzed for patient survival, after adjustment for tumor factors.

RESULTS

Of 292 eligible patients, 94.2% had cirrhosis, 55.8% had Child-Pugh grade B or C, and the median MELD score was 13.2. The median follow-up time was 2.2 years, with a dropout rate of 62.7%. Eighty-nine candidates (30.5%) eventually received liver transplant, including 67 from live donors. The estimated 1-year mortality rate reached 40.6% in 203 patients who remained on the waitlist without receiving a transplant, of whom 143 died. Most deaths were attributed to liver failure (37.1%) and cancer death (35.7%). After we adjusted for tumor confounders, including alpha fetoprotein, primary HCC stage, tumor number at evaluation, and sequential cancer treatment before and while waiting, hazard ratios (HRs) for patient survival were 1.69 (95% confidence interval, 1.18-2.41) for cirrhotic stage B or C, 1.07 (1.04-1.10) for MELD scores, and 1.14 (1.04-1.25) for tumor size at transplant evaluation. Transplantation was a protective disease modifier with adjusted HR 0.22 (0.14-0.33).

CONCLUSION

Insufficient liver functional reserve poses more risk than expected to liver transplant waitlist outcomes with HCC.

ALBI score combined with FIB-4 index to predict post-hepatectomy liver failure in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Post-hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) is a potentially life-threatening complication following liver resection. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) often occurs in patients with chronic liver disease, which increases the risk of PHLF. This study aimed to investigate the ability of the combination of liver function and fibrosis markers (ALBI score and FIB-4 index) to predict PHLF in patients with HCC. Patients who underwent hepatectomy for HCC between August 2012 and September 2022 were considered for inclusion. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with PHLF, and ALBI score and FIB-4 index were combined based on their regression coefficients. The performance of the combined ALBI-FIB4 score in predicting PHLF and postoperative mortality was compared with Child-Pugh score, MELD score, ALBI score, and FIB-4 index. A total of 215 patients were enrolled in this study. PHLF occurred in 35 patients (16.3%). The incidence of severe PHLF (grade B and grade C PHLF) was 9.3%. Postoperative 90-d mortality was 2.8%. ALBI score, FIB-4 index, prothrombin time, and extent of liver resection were identified as independent factors for predicting PHLF. The AUC of the ALBI-FIB4 score in predicting PHLF was 0.783(95%CI: 0.694-0.872), higher than other models. The ALBI-FIB4 score could divide patients into two risk groups based on a cut-off value of - 1.82. High-risk patients had a high incidence of PHLF of 39.1%, while PHLF just occurred in 6.6% of low-risk patients. Similarly, the AUCs of the ALBI-FIB4 score in predicting severe PHLF and postoperative 90-d mortality were also higher than other models. Preoperative ALBI-FIB4 score showed good performance in predicting PHLF and postoperative mortality in patients undergoing hepatectomy for HCC, superior to the currently commonly used liver function and fibrosis scoring systems.

Albumin-bilirubin score as a predictor of all-cause mortality in patients with hepatitis B virus infection: An analysis of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2018

Objectives

The Albumin-Bilirubin (ALBI) score has been widely used to assess the prognosis in patients with cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. This study aimed to analyze the relationship between ALBI score and all-cause mortality in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in general.

Methods

Patients aged ≥ 18 years with previous or current HBV infection from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in the United States between 1999 and 2018 were enrolled in this retrospective cohort study. Weight univariate and multivariate Cox regression models were used to assess the relationship between ALBI score and all-cause mortality. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was utilized to assess the predictive effect of ALBI score for all-cause mortality.

Results

A total of 3,666 patients were included, of whom 925 (23.53 %) patients died. Compared with ALBI score ≤ -2.6, HBV-infected patients with ALBI score > -2.6 [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.75; 95 % confidence interval (CI): 1.43-2.14] were corrected with a higher all-cause mortality risk after adjusting for confounders. Stratified analyses showed that higher ALBI score was related to a higher risk of all-cause mortality in different patients with HBV infection (All P < 0.05). Furthermore, the ALBI score had good predictive ability for 1-year (AUC = 0.816, 95 %CI: 0.754-0.878), 3-year (AUC = 0.808, 95 %CI: 0.775-0.841), 5-year (AUC = 0.809, 95 %CI: 0.783-0.835), and 10-year (AUC = 0.806, 95 %CI: 0.784-0.827) all-cause mortality.

Conclusion

Higher ALBI score was related to a higher risk of all-cause mortality in patients with HBV infection, and the ALBI score showed a good predictive effect for short- and long-term all-cause mortality.

Resection Versus Transplant for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: How to Offer the Best Modality

Liver resection and liver transplantation are the mainstay of treatment for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Patient comorbidities, tumor resectability, and perioperative morbidity and mortality risk, specifically of post-hepatectomy liver failure, are determining factors when deciding between liver resection and liver transplantation in patients who do not have an obvious contraindication to either treatment. Liver resection is preferred in patients without cirrhosis, and it may be a reasonable choice in patient with cirrhosis but preserved liver function and no portal hypertension if the size and function of the future liver remnant are appropriate, especially if organ availability is scarce.

An Interpretable Radiomics Model Based on Two-Dimensional Shear Wave Elastography for Predicting Symptomatic Post-Hepatectomy Liver Failure in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to develop and validate an interpretable radiomics model based on two-dimensional shear wave elastography (2D-SWE) for symptomatic post-hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) prediction in patients undergoing liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

METHODS

A total of 345 consecutive patients were enrolled. A five-fold cross-validation was performed during training, and the models were evaluated in the independent test cohort. A multi-patch radiomics model was established based on the 2D-SWE images for predicting symptomatic PHLF. Clinical features were incorporated into the models to train the clinical-radiomics model. The radiomics model and the clinical-radiomics model were compared with the clinical model comprising clinical variables and other clinical predictive indices, including the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score and albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) score. Shapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) was used for post hoc interpretability of the radiomics model.

RESULTS

The clinical-radiomics model achieved an AUC of 0.867 (95% CI 0.787-0.947) in the five-fold cross-validation, and this score was higher than that of the clinical model (AUC: 0.809; 95% CI: 0.715-0.902) and the radiomics model (AUC: 0.746; 95% CI: 0.681-0.811). The clinical-radiomics model showed an AUC of 0.822 in the test cohort, higher than that of the clinical model (AUC: 0.684, p = 0.007), radiomics model (AUC: 0.784, p = 0.415), MELD score (AUC: 0.529, p < 0.001), and ALBI score (AUC: 0.644, p = 0.016). The SHAP analysis showed that the first-order radiomics features, including first-order maximum 64 × 64, first-order 90th percentile 64 × 64, and first-order 10th percentile 32 × 32, were the most important features for PHLF prediction.

CONCLUSION

An interpretable clinical-radiomics model based on 2D-SWE and clinical variables can help in predicting symptomatic PHLF in HCC.

Current status of preoperative risk assessment for posthepatectomy liver failure in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Liver resection is an effective therapeutic option for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. However, posthepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) remains a major cause of hepatectomy-related mortality, and the accurate prediction of PHLF based on preoperative assessment of liver functional reserve is a critical issue. The definition of PHLF proposed by the International Study Group for Liver Surgery has gained acceptance as a standard grading criterion. Liver function can be estimated using a variety of parameters, including routine blood biochemical examinations, clinical scoring systems, dynamic liver function tests, liver stiffness and fibrosis markers, and imaging studies. The Child-Pugh score and model for end-stage liver disease scores are conventionally used for estimating liver decompensation, although the alternatively developed albumin-bilirubin score shows superior performance for predicting hepatic dysfunction. Indocyanine green clearance, a dynamic liver function test mostly used in Japan and other Asian countries, serves as a quantitative estimation of liver function reserve and helps determine indications for surgical procedures according to the estimated risk of PHLF. In an attempt to improve predictive accuracy, specific evaluation of liver fibrosis and portal hypertension has gained popularity, including liver stiffness measurements using ultrasonography or magnetic resonance elastography, as well as noninvasive fibrosis markers. Imaging modalities, including Tc-99m-labeled galactosyl serum albumin scintigraphy and gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging, are used for preoperative evaluation in combination with liver volume. This review aims to provide an overview of the usefulness of current options for the preoperative assessment of liver function in predicting PHLF.

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: how do hepatectomy outcomes compare to liver metastases and hepatocellular carcinoma?

BACKGROUND

The incidence of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) continues to rise, and hepatectomy is the only cure. Perioperative outcomes following hepatectomy for colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are better described than for ICC. The aim was to compare post-hepatectomy outcomes for ICC to CRLM and HCC.

METHODS

The 2014-2020 ACS NSQIP hepatectomy PUF was utilized. Patients with ICC, CRLM, and HCC were identified and others excluded. Demographic, disease, and procedural characteristics were collected. Univariable and multivariable analyses (Chi-Square for categorical variables; Kruskal-Wallis for continuous variables) were performed for mortality, serious morbidity, bile leak, post-hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF), and 30-day readmission.

RESULTS

17,789 patients underwent hepatectomy including 2377 for ICC, 10,195 for CRLM, and 5217 for HCC. Patients undergoing hepatectomy for ICC vs. HCC vs. CRLM were noted to have higher 30-day mortality (4.8% vs. 2.5% vs. 1.0%, respectively p < 0.05). ICC was associated with higher overall and serious morbidity, bile leak, severe PHLF, and readmission. Multivariable analyses confirmed higher odds ratios for mortality and morbidity (p < 0.05) in patients with ICC.

CONCLUSION

Hepatectomy for ICC is associated with worse short-term outcomes than for CRLM or HCC. Surgeons should be aware of these risks during surgical planning.

Predictive value of preoperative albumin-bilirubin score and other risk factors for short-term outcomes after open pancreatoduodenectomy

BACKGROUND

Pancreatoduodenectomy represents a complex procedure involving extensive organ resection and multiple alimentary reconstructions. It is still associated with high morbidity, even in high-volume centres. Prediction tools including preoperative patient-related factors to preoperatively identify patients at high risk for postoperative complications could enable tailored perioperative management and improve patient outcomes.

AIM

To evaluate the clinical significance of preoperative albumin-bilirubin score and other risk factors in relation to short-term postoperative outcomes in patients after open pancreatoduodenectomy.

METHODS

This retrospective study included all patients who underwent open pancreatic head resection (pylorus-preserving pancreatoduodenectomy or Whipple resection) for various pathologies during a five-year period (2017-2021) in a tertiary care setting at University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Slovenia and Cattinara Hospital, Trieste, Italy. Short-term postoperative outcomes, namely, postoperative complications, postoperative pancreatic fistula, reoperation, and mortality, were evaluated in association with albumin-bilirubin score and other risk factors. Multiple logistic regression models were built to identify risk factors associated with these short-term postoperative outcomes.

RESULTS

Data from 347 patients were collected. Postoperative complications, major postoperative complications, postoperative pancreatic fistula, reoperation, and mortality were observed in 52.7%, 22.2%, 23.9%, 21.3%, and 5.2% of patients, respectively. There was no statistically significant association between the albumin-bilirubin score and any of these short-term postoperative complications based on univariate analysis. When controlling for other predictor variables in a logistic regression model, soft pancreatic texture was statistically significantly associated with postoperative complications [odds ratio (OR): 2.09; 95% confidence interval (95%CI): 1.19-3.67]; male gender (OR: 2.12; 95%CI: 1.15-3.93), soft pancreatic texture (OR: 3.06; 95%CI: 1.56-5.97), and blood loss (OR: 1.07; 95%CI: 1.00-1.14) were statistically significantly associated with major postoperative complications; soft pancreatic texture was statistically significantly associated with the development of postoperative pancreatic fistula (OR: 5.11; 95%CI: 2.38-10.95); male gender (OR: 1.97; 95%CI: 1.01-3.83), soft pancreatic texture (OR: 2.95; 95%CI: 1.42-6.11), blood loss (OR: 1.08; 95%CI: 1.01-1.16), and resection due to duodenal carcinoma (OR: 6.58; 95%CI: 1.20-36.15) were statistically significantly associated with reoperation.

CONCLUSION

The albumin-bilirubin score failed to predict short-term postoperative outcomes in patients undergoing pancreatoduodenectomy. However, other risk factors seem to influence postoperative outcomes, including male sex, soft pancreatic texture, blood loss, and resection due to duodenal carcinoma.

175 Years of Bilirubin Testing: Ready for Point-of-Care?

Bilirubin was first detected in blood in 1847 and since then has become one of the most widely used biomarkers for liver disease. Clinical routine bilirubin testing is performed at the hospital laboratory, and the gold standard colorimetric test is prone to interferences. The absence of a bedside test for bilirubin delays critical clinical decisions for patients with liver disease. This clinical care gap has motivated the development of a new generation of bioengineered point-of-care bilirubin assays. In this Perspective, recently developed bilirubin assays are critically discussed, and their translational potential evaluated.

Prognostic Significance of Serum Albumin Level and Albumin-Based Mono- and Combination Biomarkers in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the predominant form of primary liver cancer. Although many surgical and nonsurgical therapeutic options have been established for treating HCC, the overall prognosis for HCC patients receiving different treatment modalities remains inadequate, which causes HCC to remain among the most life-threatening human cancers worldwide. Therefore, it is vitally important and urgently needed to develop valuable and independent prognostic biomarkers for the early prediction of poor prognosis in HCC patients, allowing more time for more timely and appropriate treatment to improve the survival of patients. As the most abundant protein in plasma, human serum albumin (ALB) is predominantly expressed by the liver and exhibits a wide variety of essential biological functions. It has been well recognized that serum ALB level is a significant independent biomarker for a broad spectrum of human diseases including cancer. Moreover, ALB has been commonly used as a potent biomaterial and therapeutic agent in clinical settings for the treatment of various human diseases. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the evidence from the up-to-date published literature to underscore the prognostic significance of serum ALB level and various ALB-based mono- and combination biomarkers in the prediction of the prognosis of HCC patients after treatment with different surgical, locoregional, and systemic therapies.

Performance of risk prediction models for post-operative mortality in patients undergoing liver resection

BACKGROUND

Liver resection is commonly performed for hepatic tumors, however preoperative risk stratification remains challenging. We evaluated the performance of contemporary prediction models for short-term mortality after liver resection in patients with and without cirrhosis.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study examined National Surgical Quality Improvement Program data. We included patients who underwent liver resections from 2014 to 2019. VOCAL-Penn, MELD, MELD-Na, ALBI, and Mayo risk scores were evaluated in terms of model discrimination and calibration for 30-day post-operative mortality.

RESULTS

A total 15,198 patients underwent liver resection, of whom 249 (1.6%) experienced 30-day post-operative mortality. The VOCAL-Penn score had the highest discrimination (area under the ROC curve [AUC] 0.74) compared to all other models. The VOCAL-Penn score similarly outperformed other models in patients with (AUC 0.70) and without (AUC 0.74) cirrhosis.

CONCLUSION

The VOCAL-Penn score demonstrated superior predictive performance for 30-day post-operative mortality after liver resection as compared to existing clinical standards.

A nomogram for predicting post-hepatectomy liver failure in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma based on spleen-volume-to-platelet ratio

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Post-hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) is one of the most serious complications after hepatectomy in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and has an association with high morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to explore the risk factors of PHLF and to establish and validate a nomogram to predict PHLF.

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed 971 HCC patients undergoing major liver resection at the Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital between 2011 and 2016, and established a nomogram based on multivariate analyses for predicting PHLF. The predictive accuracy and discriminative ability of the nomogram were evaluated by concordance index (C-index) and calibration curve. The predictive ability of PHLF of this nomogram was compared with conventional models using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves.

RESULTS

The incidence of PHLF was 18.8%. Multivariate analysis identified age, BMI, preoperative ascites, preoperative prealbumin, spleen volume-to-platelet ratio, total bilirubin, and intraoperative blood loss as independent predictors of PHLF. The area under ROC curve (AUROC) of the predictive model was 0.668 and was higher than that of the albumin-bilirubin score (ALBI). The optimal cut-off value of the model was 124.

CONCLUSIONS

We constructed a nomogram for predicting PHLF based on risk factors. The nomogram can assist clinicians in identifying patients with high-risk PHLF, eventually facilitating earlier interventions and improving clinical outcomes.

A comprehensive preoperative predictive score for post-hepatectomy liver failure after hepatocellular carcinoma resection based on patient comorbidities, tumor burden, and liver function: the CTF score

BACKGROUND

Post-hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) is a dreaded complication following liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with a high mortality rate. We sought to develop a score based on preoperative factors to predict PHLF.

METHODS

Patients who underwent resection for HCC between 2000 and 2020 were identified from an international multi-institutional database. Factors associated with PHLF were identified and used to develop a preoperative comorbidity-tumor burden-liver function (CTF) predictive score.

RESULTS

Among 1785 patients, 106 (5.9%) experienced PHLF. On multivariate analysis, several factors were associated with PHLF including high Charlson comorbidity index (CCI ≥ 5) (OR 2.80, 95%CI, 1.08-7.26), albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) (OR 1.99, 95%CI, 1.10-3.56), and tumor burden score (TBS) (OR 1.06, 95%CI, 1.02-1.11) (all p < 0.05). Using the beta-coefficients of these variables, a weighted predictive score was developed and made available online ( https://alaimolaura.shinyapps.io/PHLFriskCalculator/ ). The CTF score (c-index = 0.67) performed better than Child-Pugh score (CPS) (c-index = 0.53) or Barcelona clinic liver cancer system (BCLC) (c-index = 0.57) to predict PHLF. A high CTF score was also an independent adverse prognostic factor for survival (HR 1.61, 95%CI, 1.12-2.30) and recurrence (HR 1.36, 95%CI, 1.08-1.71) (both p = 0.01).

CONCLUSION

Roughly 1 in 20 patients experienced PHLF following resection of HCC. Patient (i.e., CCI), tumor (i.e., TBS), and liver function (i.e., ALBI) factors were associated with risk of PHLF. These preoperative factors were incorporated into a novel CTF tool that was made available online, which outperformed other previously proposed tools.

Current evidence on posthepatectomy liver failure: comprehensive review

INTRODUCTION

Despite important advances in many areas of hepatobiliary surgical practice during the past decades, posthepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) still represents an important clinical challenge for the hepatobiliary surgeon. The aim of this review is to present the current body of evidence regarding different aspects of PHLF.

METHODS

A literature review was conducted to identify relevant articles for each topic of PHLF covered in this review. The literature search was performed using Medical Subject Heading terms on PubMed for articles on PHLF in English until May 2022.

RESULTS

Uniform reporting on PHLF is lacking due to the use of various definitions in the literature. There is no consensus on optimal preoperative assessment before major hepatectomy to avoid PHLF, although many try to estimate future liver remnant function. Once PHLF occurs, there is still no effective treatment, except liver transplantation, where the reported experience is limited.

DISCUSSION

Strict adherence to one definition is advised when reporting data on PHLF. The use of the International Study Group of Liver Surgery criteria of PHLF is recommended. There is still no widespread established method for future liver remnant function assessment. Liver transplantation is currently the only effective way to treat severe, intractable PHLF, but for many indications, this treatment is not available in most countries.

Machine learning prediction model for post- hepatectomy liver failure in hepatocellular carcinoma: A multicenter study

Introduction

Post-hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) is one of the most serious complications and causes of death in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after hepatectomy. This study aimed to develop a novel machine learning (ML) model based on the light gradient boosting machines (LightGBM) algorithm for predicting PHLF.

Methods

A total of 875 patients with HCC who underwent hepatectomy were randomized into a training cohort (n=612), a validation cohort (n=88), and a testing cohort (n=175). Shapley additive explanation (SHAP) was performed to determine the importance of individual variables. By combining these independent risk factors, an ML model for predicting PHLF was established. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and decision curve analyses (DCA) were used to evaluate the accuracy of the ML model and compare it to that of other noninvasive models.

Results

The AUCs of the ML model for predicting PHLF in the training cohort, validation cohort, and testing cohort were 0.944, 0.870, and 0.822, respectively. The ML model had a higher AUC for predicting PHLF than did other non-invasive models. The ML model for predicting PHLF was found to be more valuable than other noninvasive models.

Conclusion

A novel ML model for the prediction of PHLF using common clinical parameters was constructed and validated. The novel ML model performed better than did existing noninvasive models for the prediction of PHLF.

The ALBI score: From liver function in patients with HCC to a general measure of liver function

The (albumin-bilirubin) ‘ALBI’ score is an index of ‘liver function’ that was recently developed to assess prognosis in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, irrespective of the degree of underlying liver fibrosis. Other measures of liver function, such as model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) and Child-Pugh score, which were introduced for specific clinical scenarios, have seen their use extended to other areas of hepatology. In the case of ALBI, its application has been increasingly extended to chronic liver disease in general and in some instances to non-liver diseases where it has proven remarkably accurate in terms of prognosis. With respect to chronic liver disease, numerous publications have shown that ALBI is highly prognostic in patients with all types and stages of chronic liver disease. Outside of liver disease, ALBI has been reported as being of prognostic value in conditions ranging from chronic heart failure to brain tumours. Whilst in several of these reports, explanations for the relationship of liver function to a clinical condition have been proposed, it has to be acknowledged that the specificity of ALBI for liver function has not been clearly demonstrated. Nonetheless, and similar to the MELD and Child-Pugh scores, the lack of any mechanistic basis for ALBI’s clinical utility does not preclude it from being clinically useful in certain situations. Why albumin and bilirubin levels, or a combination thereof, are prognostic in so many different diseases should be studied in the future.

The impact of minimally invasive surgery and frailty on post-hepatectomy outcomes

BACKGROUND

The impact of patient frailty on post-hepatectomy outcomes is not well studied. We hypothesized that patient frailty is a strong predictor of 30-day post-hepatectomy complications.

METHODS

The liver-targeted National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database for 2014-2019 was reviewed. A validated modified frailty index (mFI) was used.

RESULTS

A total of 24,150 hepatectomies were reviewed. Worsening frailty was associated with increased incidence of Clavien-Dindo grade IV complications (mFI 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 was 3.9%, 6.3%, 10%, 8.1%, 50% respectively; p < 0.001). Minimally invasive hepatectomies had a lower rate of Clavien-Dindo grade IV complications for non-frail (Laparoscopic: 1%, Robotic: 2.6%, Open: 4.6%; p < 0.001) and frail patients (Laparoscopic: 3%, Robotic: 2.3%, Open: 7.7%; p < 0.001). Frail patients experienced higher incidence of post-hepatectomy liver failure (5.4% vs 4.1% for non-frail; p < 0.001) and grade C liver failure (28% vs 21.1% for non-frail; p = 0.03). Incorporating mFI to Albumin-Bilirubin score (ALBI) improved its ability to predict Clavien-Dindo grade IV complications (AUC improved from 0.609 to 0.647; p < 0.001) and 30-day mortality (AUC improved from 0.663 to 0.72; p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Worsening frailty correlates with increased incidence of Clavien-Dindo grade IV complications post-hepatectomy, whereas minimally invasive approaches decrease this risk. Incorporating frailty assessment to ALBI improves its ability to predict major postoperative complications and 30-day mortality.

A Novel Nomogram for Prediction of Post-Hepatectomy Liver Failure in Patients with Resectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Multicenter Study

Objective

To develop a nomogram for predicting post-hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) in patients with resectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) based on portal hypertension, the extent of resection, ALT, total bilirubin, and platelet count.

Methods

Patients with HCC hospitalized from January 2015 to December 2020 were included in a retrospective cohort study. 595 HCC patients were divided into a training cohort (n=416) and a validation cohort (n=179) by random sampling. Univariate and multivariable analyses were performed to identify the independent variables to predict PHLF. The nomogram models for predicting the overall risk of PHLF and the risk of PHLF B+C were constructed based on the independent variables. Comparisons were made by using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, calibration curve, and decision curve analysis (DCA) with traditional models, such as FIB-4 score, APRI score, CP class (Child-Pugh), MELD score (model of end-stage liver disease), and ALBI score (albumin-bilirubin) to analyze the accuracy and superiority of the nomogram.

Results

We discovered that portal hypertension (yes vs no) (OR=1.677,95% CI:1.817-4.083, p=0.002), the extent of liver resection (OR=1.872,95% CI:3.937-47.096, p=0.001), ALT (OR=1.003,95% CI:1.003-1.016, P=0.003), total bilirubin (OR=1.036,95% CI:1.031-1.184, p=0.005), and platelet count (OR= 1.004, 95% CI:0.982-0.998, p=0.020) were independent risk factors for PHLF using multifactorial analysis. The nomogram models were constructed using well-fit calibration curves for each of these five covariates. When compared to the FIB4, ALBI, MELD, and CP score, our nomogram models have a better predictive value for predicting the overall risk of PHLF or the risk of PHLF B+C. The validation cohort's results were consistent. DCA also confirmed the conclusion.

Conclusion

Our models, in the form of static nomogram or web application, were developed to predict PHLF overall risk and PHLF B+C risk in patients with HCC, with a high prediction sensitivity and specificity performance than other commonly used scoring systems.

Impact of aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index based score to assess posthepatectomy liver failure in patients with hepatocellular carcninoma

BACKGROUND

Posthepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) is a life-threatening complication following hepatic resection. The aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI) is a non-invasive model for assessing the liver functional reserve in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study aimed to establish a scoring model to stratify patients with HCC at risk for PHLF.

METHODS

This single-center retrospective study included 451 patients who underwent hepatic resection for HCC between 2004 and 2017. Preoperative factors, including non-invasive liver fibrosis markers and intraoperative factors, were evaluated. The predictive impact for PHLF was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves of these factors.

RESULTS

Of 451 patients, 30 (6.7%) developed severe PHLF (grade B/C). Multivariate logistic analysis indicated that APRI, model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score, operating time, and intraoperative blood loss were significantly associated with severe PHLF. A scoring model (over 0-4 points) was calculated using these optimal cutoff values. The area under the ROC curve of the established score for severe PHLF was 0.88, which greatly improved the predictive accuracy compared with these factors alone (p < 0.05 for all).

CONCLUSIONS

The scoring model-based APRI, MELD score, operating time, and intraoperative blood loss can predict severe PHLF in patients with HCC.

Association of preoperative albumin–bilirubin with surgical textbook outcomes following laparoscopic hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma

Background and aims

Recently, the effectiveness of “textbook outcomes (TO)” in the evaluation of surgical quality has been recognized by more and more scholars. This study tended to examine the association between preoperative albumin–bilirubin (ALBI) grades and the incidence of achieving or not achieving TO (non-TO) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) undergoing laparoscopic hepatectomy.

Methods

The patients were stratified into two groups: ALBI grade 1 (ALBI ≤ -2.60) and ALBI grade 2/3 (ALBI > -2.60). The characteristics of patients and the incidence of non-TO were compared. Multivariate analyses were performed to determine whether ALBI grade was independently associated with TO.

Results

In total, 378 patients were enrolled, including 194 patients (51.3%) in the ALBI grade 1 group and 184 patients (48.7%) in the ALBI grade 2/3 group. In the whole cohort, 198 patients (52.4%) did not achieve TO, and the incidence of non-TO in the ALBI grade 2/3 group was obviously higher than that in the ALBI grade 1 group (n = 112, 60.9% vs. n = 86, 44.3%, P = 0.001). The multivariate analyses showed that ALBI grade 2/3 was an independent risk factor for non-TO (OR: 1.95, 95%CI: 1.30–2.94, P = 0.023).

Conclusions

More than half (52.4%) of the patients with hepatocellular carcinoma did not achieve TO after laparoscopic hepatectomy, and preoperative ALBI grade 2/3 was significantly associated with non-TO. Improving the liver function reserve of patients before operation, thereby reducing the ALBI grade, may increase the probability for patients to reach TO and enable patients to benefit more from surgery.

Albumin-bilirubin score is superior to platelet-albumin-bilirubin score and model for end-state liver disease sodium for predicting posthepatectomy liver failure

BACKGROUND

Risk stratification for patients undergoing hepatectomy can be attempted using established models. This study compares the platelet-albumin-bilirubin (PALBI) score with albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) and model for end-stage liver disease sodium (MELD-Na) for predicting posthepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) and 30-day mortality.

METHODS

The 2014-2018 NSQIP database was queried for patients who underwent elective hepatectomy. Multivariable logistic regressions assessed associations of posthepatectomy outcomes with patient and clinical characteristics. Predictive accuracy of the grading systems was evaluated using receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves and calculating area under the curve (AUC).

RESULTS

Severe PHLF (Grade B/C) and mortality were present in 2.58% (N = 369) and 1.2% (N = 171) of patients who underwent hepatectomy (N = 13 925), respectively. ALBI Grade 2/3 had a stronger association with severe PHLF (odds ratio [OR] = 1.62, p < 0.01) and mortality (OR = 2.06, p < 0.005) than PALBI Grade 2/3 (OR = 1.14, p = 0.43 for PHLF and OR = 2.01, p < 0.005 for mortality) or MELD-Na ≥10 (OR = 1.29, p = 0.25 for PHLF and OR = 1.84, p < 0.03). ALBI had a higher AUC (0.671) than PALBI (0.625) and MELD-Na (0.627) for predicting severe PHLF. ALBI had a higher AUC (0.695) than PALBI (0.642) for predicting 30-day mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

ALBI was a more accurate predictor of severe PHLF and 30-day mortality than MELD-Na and PALBI for patients who underwent hepatectomy.

An mALBI-Child-Pugh-based nomogram for predicting post-hepatectomy liver failure grade B-C in patients with huge hepatocellular carcinoma: a multi-institutional study

Objective

Post-hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) is a severe complication in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who underwent hepatectomy. This study aims to develop a nomogram of PHLF grade B–C in patients with huge HCC (diameter ≥ 10 cm).

Methods

We retrospectively collected clinical information of 514 and 97 patients who underwent hepatectomy for huge HCC at two medical centers between 2016 and 2021. Univariate and multivariate analysis were carried out to screen the independent risk factors of PHLF grade B–C, which were visualized as a nomogram.

Results

Three Hundred Forty Three Thousand One Hundred Seventy One  and 97 HCC patients were included in the training cohort, internal validation cohort, and external validation cohort, with probabilities of PHLF grade B–C of 15.1%, 12.9%, and 22.7%, respectively. Pre-operative modified albumin-bilirubin (mALBI) grade (p < 0.001), Child–Pugh classification (p = 0.044), international normalized ratio (INR) (p = 0.005), cirrhosis (p = 0.019), and intraoperative blood loss (p = 0.004) were found to be independently associated with PHLF grade B–C in the training cohort. All the five independent factors were considered in the establishment of the nomogram model. In the internal validation cohort and external validation cohort, the area under receiver operating characteristic curve for the nomogram in PHLF grade B–C prediction reached 0.823 and 0.740, respectively. Divided into different risk groups according to the optimal cut-off value, patients in the high-risk group reported significantly higher frequency of PHLF grade B–C than those in the low-risk group, both in the training cohort and the validation cohort (p < 0.001).

Conclusions

The proposed noninvasive nomogram based on mALBI-Child–Pugh and three other indicators achieved optimal prediction performance of PHLF grade B–C in patients with huge HCC.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12957-022-02672-5.

Preoperative nutritional score predicts underlying liver status and surgical risk of hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Given the scarce evidence regarding the impact of preoperative nutritional status on surgical outcomes of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, predictive powers of nutritional/inflammatory scores for short-term surgical outcomes in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma were investigated.

METHODS

Outcomes of 1272 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma were reviewed, and predictive powers of nine nutritional/inflammatory scores for short-term surgical outcomes were compared using the receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis. Clinical relevance of the best nutritional score was then studied in detail to clarify its utility as an alternative predictive measure for surgical risk of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

RESULTS

Receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis showed the controlling nutritional status score has the best performance in prediction of morbidity after hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma (area under the curve, 0.593; 95% confidence interval: 0.552-0.635; p < 0.001), and multivariate analysis confirmed its correlation with the risk of any morbidity (odds ratio per +1 point, 1.17; 95% confidence interval: 1.08-1.27; p < 0.001) and major morbidity (odds ratio per +1 point, 1.14; 95% confidence interval: 0.99-1.27; p = 0.052). The undernutrition grade based on the controlling nutritional status score showed strong correlation with the degree of fibrosis in the liver (p < 0.001), platelet count (p < 0.001), and indocyanine green retention rate at 15 min (p < 0.001). In addition, the controlling nutritional status undernutrition grade well stratified the risk of postoperative morbidity especially in cirrhotic subpopulation (odds ratio, 1.17 per +1 point; 95% confidence interval: 1.05-1.29 for any morbidity and odds ratio, 1.20 per +1 point; 95% confidence interval: 1.03-1.40 for major morbidity).

CONCLUSIONS

The controlling nutritional status score could be an alternative measure for underlying liver injury and the surgical risk of hepatocellular carcinoma.

CT radiomics nomogram for the preoperative prediction of severe post-hepatectomy liver failure in patients with huge (≥ 10 cm) hepatocellular carcinoma

Background

This study aimed to establish a radiomics-based nomogram for predicting severe (grade B or C) post-hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) in patients with huge (≥ 10 cm) hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods

One hundred eighty-six patients with huge HCC (training dataset, n = 131 and test dataset, n = 55) that underwent curative hepatic resection were included in this study. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) approach was applied to develop a radiomics signature for grade B or C PHLF prediction using the training dataset. A multivariable logistic regression model was used by incorporating radiomics signature and other clinical predictors to establish a radiomics nomogram. Decision tree analysis was performed to stratify the risk for severe PHLF.

Results

The radiomics signature consisting of nine features predicted severe PHLF with AUCs of 0.766 and 0.745 for the training and test datasets. The radiomics nomogram was generated by integrating the radiomics signature, the extent of resection and the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score. The nomogram exhibited satisfactory discrimination ability, with AUCs of 0.842 and 0.863 for the training and test datasets, respectively. Based on decision tree analysis, patients were divided into three risk classes: low-risk patients with radiomics score < -0.247 and MELD score < 10 or radiomics score ≥ − 0.247 but underwent partial resections; intermediate-risk patients with radiomics score < − 0.247 but MELD score ≥10; high-risk patients with radiomics score ≥ − 0.247 and underwent extended resections.

Conclusions

The radiomics nomogram could predict severe PHLF in huge HCC patients. A decision tree may be useful in surgical decision-making for huge HCC hepatectomy.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12957-021-02459-0.

Preoperative ALBI grade predicts the outcomes in non-B non-C HCC patients undergoing primary curative resection

BACKGROUND

The albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) grade has been validated as a significant prognostic predictor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, there is little information about the ALBI grade in patients with non-B non-C HCC (NBNC-HCC) receiving surgery.

AIM

This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic significance of the ALBI grade in patients with NBNC-HCC after primary curative resection.

METHOD

From January 2010 to April 2016, 2137 patients with HCC who received hepatectomy were screened for study eligibility. Finally, a total of 168 NBNC-HCC patients who received primary curative resection were analyzed. The impacts of the ALBI grade on disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were analyzed by multivariate analysis.

RESULTS

There were 66 (39.3%), 98 (58.3%), and 4 (2.4%) patients with an ALBI grade of I, II, and III, respectively. Patients with an ALBI grade II/III were older (p = 0.002), more likely to have hypoalbuminemia (p < 0.001), and more commonly had Child-Pugh class B (p = 0.009) than patients with an ALBI grade I. After a median follow-up of 76 months, 74 (44%) patients experienced recurrence, and 72 (42.9%) patients died. Multivariate analysis revealed that alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) > 200 ng/mL (p = 0.021), number of tumors (p = 0.001), and tumor stage (p = 0.007) were independent prognostic factors for DFS. Additionally, AFP > 200 ng/mL (p = 0.002), ALBI grade II/III (p = 0.002), and tumor stage (p < 0.001) were independent risk factors for poor OS.

CONCLUSION

The preoperative ALBI grade can be used to predict mortality in patients with NBNC-HCC after primary curative resection.

Recent Improvements in Racial Disparity in the Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: How Times Have Changed

BACKGROUND

Race has been shown to impact receipt of and outcomes following hepatobiliary surgery. We sought to determine if racial disparities in the management of hepatocellular carcinoma persist.

METHODS

Information on patients with hepatocellular carcinoma diagnosed between 2012 and 2016 was obtained from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. The sample was stratified by race/ethnicity, and associations between tumor characteristics, treatment, and survival were assessed.

RESULTS

Of 33,672 patients, the mean age was 65 years, and 77% were male. By race, 17,150 (51%) were white, 4755 (14%) black, 6850 (20%) Hispanic, and 4917 (15%) Asian. When assessing the likelihood of treatment versus no treatment for tumors less than 5 cm, no difference was observed between whites and blacks in any year, but Hispanics were less likely than whites to receive treatment in most years. Asians were more likely to receive treatment every year. When assessing the likelihood of transplant versus surgical resection, blacks were less likely than whites to undergo transplant in all years except 2016. Hispanics were equally likely, while Asians were less likely to undergo transplant in all years. For years 2012 to 2016 collectively, Asians had better 5-year survival rates than other races after undergoing ablation and resection. No difference in the risk of death was observed among blacks, whites, or Hispanics after undergoing ablation, resection, or transplant.

CONCLUSION

Racial disparities for blacks and Hispanics have improved. Although Asians were less likely to undergo transplant, they had better survival after undergoing resection or ablation.

ALBI grade: Evidence for an improved model for liver functional estimation in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) usually arises in the context of a chronically damaged liver. Liver functional estimation is of paramount importance in clinical decision making. The Child-Pugh score (CPS) can be used to categorise patients into 3 classes (A to C) based on the severity of liver functional impairment according to 5 parameters (albumin, bilirubin, prothrombin time, presence of ascites and hepatic encephalopathy). The albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) grade has emerged as an alternative, reproducible and objective measure of liver functional reserve in patients with HCC, defining worsening liver impairment across 3 grades (I to III). The ALBI score can identify different subgroups of patients with different prognoses across the diverse Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stages and CP classes, making it an appealing clinical predictor. In patients treated with potentially curative approaches (resection, transplantation, radiofrequency ablation, microwave ablation), ALBI grade has been shown to correlate with survival, tumour relapse, and post-hepatectomy liver failure. ALBI grade also predicts survival, toxicity and post-procedural liver failure in patients treated with transarterial chemoembolisation, radioembolisation, external beam radiotherapy as well as multi-kinase inhibitors (sorafenib, lenvatinib, cabozantinib, regorafenib) and immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy. In this review, we summarise the body of evidence surrounding the role of ALBI grade as a biomarker capable of optimising patient selection and therapeutic sequencing in HCC.

A systematic review of prediction models for post-hepatectomy liver failure in patients undergoing liver surgery

BACKGROUND

The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate the current evidence in the context of clinical prediction model for post-hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF).

METHODS

A systematic search of the English literature for a period from December 2005 to September 2020 was conducted. Primary outcome was defined using the three common PHLF criteria (50-50 criteria, peak bilirubin>7 mg/dl criteria, and ≥ grade B PHLF criteria by the International Study Group of Liver Surgery). Studies that reported the value of area under receiver operative characteristic curve (AUC) for the occurrence of PHLF were included.

RESULTS

Twenty eight of 1327 screened articles were eligible for inclusion. Eighteen studies developed the prediction models. The median AUC was found to be 0.79 (0.65-0.933). The parameters related to the amount of future liver remnant volume were most commonly identified as significant predictors for PHLF in statistical analysis (24 studies) and were most frequently incorporated in the prediction models (18 studies). The parameters associated with portal hypertension were significant for predicting PHLF in 16 studies and were adopted in the prediction models in 14 studies.

CONCLUSION

Parameters related to future liver remnant volume and portal hypertension seem to be facilitating in predicting PHLF.

Retrospective evaluation of the effect of Ninjin'yoeito in hepatocellular carcinoma patients treated with lenvatinib

PURPOSES

Lenvatinib (LEN) is a molecular-target drug, used for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). It is associated with adverse events (AEs), including hypertension, proteinuria, fatigue, and anorexia, which may force dose reduction or discontinuation. Ninjin'yoeito (NYT) is a Chinese-Japanese herbal compound that can effectively treat fatigue and anorexia, and which has been used for chronic liver diseases. NYT reduces AEs and improves the liver function in patients treated with sorafenib but its effect on LEN is unclear.

METHODS

The present study included 46 patients (male, n = 32; female, n = 14) who received LEN for HCC at our hospital. Their median age was 70 years (range 36-88 years), and their median body weight was 61.5 kg (range 38.4-97.0 kg). Patients were divided into two groups, depending on whether they received NYT medication. Their AEs and liver function were examined one month after starting LEN.

RESULTS

The NYT group suffered less fatigue (63.6% vs. 11.4%, P = 0.0014) and showed elevated aspartate aminotransferase levels (45.5% vs. 14.3%, P = 0.0433) in comparison to the non-NYT group. The non-NYT group also showed a significantly exacerbated albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) grade (P = 0.0342) and ALBI score (average change: + 0.232, P = 0.0001) at 1 month in comparison to baseline.

CONCLUSION

NYT apparently suppressed LEN-induced fatigue and helped maintain liver function in patients with HCC.

Optimal hepatic surgery: Are we making progress in North America?

BACKGROUND

The aim of this analysis was to determine whether optimal outcomes have increased in recent years. Hepatic surgery is high risk, but regionalization and minimally invasive approaches have evolved. Best practices also have been defined with the goal of improving outcomes.

METHODS

The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was queried. Analyses were performed separately for partial (≤2 segments), major (≥3 segments), and all hepatectomies. Optimal hepatic surgery was defined as the absence of mortality, serious morbidity, need for a postoperative invasive procedure or reoperation, prolonged length of stay (<75th percentile) or readmission. Tests of trend, χ², and multivariable analyses were performed.

RESULTS

From 2014 to 2018, 17,082 hepatectomies, including 11,862 partial hepatectomies and 5,220 major hepatectomies, were analyzed. Minimally invasive approaches increased from 25.6% in 2014 to 29.6% in 2018 (P < .01) and were performed more frequently for partial hepatectomies (34.2%) than major hepatectomies (14.4%) (P < .01). Operative time decreased from 220 minutes in 2014 to 208 minutes in 2018 (P < .05) and was lower in partial hepatectomies (189 vs 258 minutes for major hepatectomies) (P < .01). Mortality (0.7%) and length of stay (4 days) were lower for partial hepatectomies compared with major hepatectomies (1.9%; 6 days), and length of stay decreased for both partial hepatectomies (5 days in 2014 to 4 days in 2018) and major hepatectomies (6 days in 2014 to 6 days in 2018) (all P < .01). Postoperative sepsis (2.9% in 2014 and 2.4% in 2018), bile leaks (6% in 2014 and 4.8% in 2018), and liver failure (3.7% in 2014 and 3.3% in 2018) decreased for all patients (<.05). On multivariable analyses, overall morbidity decreased for major hepatectomies (OR 0.95, 95% CI 0.91-0.99) and all hepatectomies (OR 0.97, 95% CI 0.94-0.99, both P < .01), and optimal hepatic surgery increased over time for partial hepatectomies (OR 1.05, 95% CI 1.02-1.09) and all hepatectomies (OR 1.04, 95% CI 1.02-1.07, both P < .01).

CONCLUSION

Over a 5-year period in North America, minimally invasive hepatectomies have increased, while operative time, postoperative sepsis, bile leaks, liver failure, and prolonged length of stay have decreased. Optimal hepatic surgery has increased for partial and all hepatectomies and is achieved more often in partial than in major resections.

Development and Validation of a Nomogram Based on Perioperative Factors to Predict Post-hepatectomy Liver Failure

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Post-hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) is a severe complication and main cause of death in patients undergoing hepatectomy. The aim of this study was to build a predictive model of PHLF in patients undergoing hepatectomy.

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed patients undergoing hepatectomy at Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University from July 2015 to June 2018, and randomly divided them into development and internal validation cohorts. External validation was performed in an independent cohort. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (commonly referred to as LASSO) logistic regression was applied to identify predictors of PHLF, and multivariate binary logistic regression analysis was performed to establish the predictive model, which was visualized with a nomogram.

RESULTS

A total of 492 eligible patients were analyzed. LASSO and multivariate analysis identified three preoperative variables, total bilirubin (p=0.001), international normalized ratio (p<0.001) and platelet count (p=0.004), and two intraoperative variables, extent of resection (p=0.002) and blood loss (p=0.004), as independent predictors of PHLF. The area under receiver operating characteristic curve (referred to as AUROC) of the predictive model was 0.838 and outperformed the model for end-stage liver disease score, albumin-bilirubin score and platelet-albumin-bilirubin score (AUROCs: 0.723, 0.695 and 0.663, respectively; p<0.001 for all). The optimal cut-off value of the predictive model was 14.7. External validation showed the model could predict PHLF accurately and distinguish high-risk patients.

CONCLUSIONS

PHLF can be accurately predicted by this model in patients undergoing hepatectomy, which may significantly contribute to the postoperative care of these patients.

External Validation of Six Liver Functional Reserve Models to predict Posthepatectomy Liver Failure after Major Resection for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Objective: To validate and compare the predictive ability of albumin-bilirubin model (ALBI) with other 5 liver functional reserve models (APRI, FIB4, MELD, PALBI, King's score) for posthepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who underwent major hepatectomy. Methods: Data of patients undergoing major hepatectomy for HCC from 4 hospitals between January 01, 2008 and December 31, 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. PHLF was evaluated according to the definition of the 50-50 criteria. Performances of six liver functional reserve models were determined by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), calibration plot and decision curve analysis. Results: A total of 745 patients with 103 (13.8%) experienced PHLF were finally included in this study. Among six liver functional reserve models, ALBI showed the highest AUC (0.64, 95% CI: 0.58-0.69) for PHLF. All models showed good calibration and greater net benefit than treating all patients at a limit range of threshold probabilities, but the ALBI demonstrated net benefit across the largest range of threshold probabilities. Subgroup analysis also showed ALBI had good predictive performance in cirrhotic (AUC=0.63) or non-cirrhotic (AUC=0.62) patients. Conclusion: Among the six models, the ALBI model shows more accurate predictive ability for PHLF in HCC patients undergoing major hepatectomy, regardless of having cirrhosis or not.

Prognostic role of preoperative albumin-bilirubin score in posthepatectomy liver failure and mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Posthepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) is a life-threatening complication after liver resection, resulting in an increased morbidity and mortality. Epidemiological evidence of the association between preoperative albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) score, a newly established model for assessing liver functional reserve, and the risk of PHLF and mortality remains controversial. A systematical search for relevant literature was performed in PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases from December 2014 to September 2020. Odds ratio (OR) value and 95% confidence interval (CI) were extracted or calculated to synthetically estimate the association of preoperative ALBI score with PHLF and mortality. Meta-analyses were performed using a random-effects model. Twelve studies with a total of 21,348 patients were included in this meta-analysis. It was indicated that, compared to patients with a lower preoperative ALBI grade, patients with a higher grade had a significantly elevated risk of PHLF (6 studies, 18,291 patients; OR = 2.48, 95%CI: 2.00-3.07) and mortality (4 studies15, 139 patients; OR = 2.35, 95% CI: 1.38-4.00). In addition, when it was expressed as a continuous variable, ALBI was also a significant predictor of PHLF (6 studies, 3,833 patients; OR = 3.16, 95% CI: 2.07-4.81, per 1-point increase in ALBI score). No significant publication biases were detected as suggested by funnel plots inspection and Begg's tests. The current meta-analysis demonstrates that preoperative elevated ALBI is associated with higher risk of PHLF and mortality after hepatectomy.

Prognostic Value of the Albumin-Bilirubin Grade for the Prediction of Post-Hepatectomy Liver Failure: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

(1) Introduction: Liver resection (LR) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is often burdened by life-threatening complications, such as post-hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF). The albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) score can accurately evaluate liver function and the long-term prognosis of HCC patients, including PHLF. We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic value of the ALBI grade in predicting PHLF in HCC patients undergoing LR. (2) Methods: MEDLINE, Embase, and Scopus were searched through January 17th, 2021. Studies reporting the ALBI grade and PHLF occurrence in HCC patients undergoing LR were included. The Odds Ratio (OR) prevalence with 95% confidence intervals (CI) was pooled, and the heterogeneity was expressed as I2. The quality of the studies was assessed using QUADAS-2 (Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies). (3) Results: Seven studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis. A total of 5377 patients who underwent LR for HCC were considered, of whom 718 (13.4%) developed PHLF. Patients with ALBI grades 2 and 3 before LR showed increased rates of PHLF compared to ALBI grade 1 patients. The pooled OR was 2.572 (95% CI, 1.825 to 3.626, p < 0.001), with substantial heterogeneity between the studies (I2 = 69.6%) and no publication bias (Begg's p = 0.764 and Egger's p = 0.851 tests). All studies were at a 'low risk' or 'unclear risk' of bias. Univariate meta-regression analysis showed that heterogeneity was not dependent on the country of study, the age and sex of the participants, the definition of PHLF used, the rate of patients in Child-Pugh class A or undergoing major hepatectomy. (4) Conclusions: In this meta-analysis of published studies, individuals with ALBI grades of 2 and 3 showed increased rates of PHLF compared to ALBI grade 1 patients.

A novel preoperative predictive model of 90-day mortality after liver resection for huge hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Hepatectomy for huge hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (diameter ≥10 cm) is characterized by high mortality. This study aimed to establish a preoperative model to evaluate the risk of postoperative 90-day mortality for huge HCC patients.

METHODS

We retrospectively enrolled 1,127 consecutive patients and prospectively enrolled 93 patients with huge HCC who underwent hepatectomy (training cohort, n=798; validation cohort, n=329; prospective cohort, n=93) in our institute. Based on independent preoperative predictors of 90-day mortality, we established a logistic regression model and visualized the model by nomogram.

RESULTS

The 90-day mortality rates were 9.6%, 9.2%, and 10.9% in the training, validation, and prospective cohort. The α-fetoprotein (AFP) level, the prealbumin levels, and the presence of portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT) were preoperative independent predictors of 90-day mortality. A logistic regression model, AFP-prealbumin-PVTT score (APP score), was subsequently established and showed good performance in predicting 90-day mortality (training cohort, AUC =0.87; validation cohort, AUC =0.91; prospective cohort, AUC =0.93). Using a cut-off of -1.96, the model could stratify patients into low risk (≤-1.96) and high risk (>-1.96) with different 90-day mortality rates (~30% vs. ~2%). Furthermore, the predictive performance for 90-day mortality and overall survival was significantly superior to the Child-Pugh score, the model of end-stage liver disease (MELD) score, and the albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) score.

CONCLUSIONS

The APP score can precisely predict postoperative 90-day mortality as well as long-term survival for patients with huge HCC, assisting physician selection of suitable candidates for liver resection and improving the safety and efficacy of surgical treatment.

Effectiveness of Albumin-bilirubin Score as a Predictor of Post-hepatectomy Liver Failure in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Backgrounds/Aims

Post-hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) is a major concern for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who have undergone liver resection. The albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) score is a novel model for assessing liver function. We aimed to investigate the effectiveness of the ALBI score as a predictor of PHLF in HCC patients who have undergone hepatectomy in South Korea.

Methods

Between January 2014 and November 2018, HCC patients who underwent hepatectomy and indocyanine retention rate at 15 min (ICG-R15) test were enrolled in this study.

Results

A total of 101 patients diagnosed with HCC underwent hepatectomy. Thirty-two patients (31.7%) experienced PHLF. The ALBI score (OR 2.83; 95% CI 1.22-6.55; p=0.015), ICG-R15 (OR 1.07; 95% CI 1.02-1.12; p=0.007) and ALBI grade (OR 2,86; 95% CI 1.08-7.58; p=0.035) were identified as independent predictors of PHLF by multivariable analysis. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the ALBI score and ICG-R15 were 0.676 (95% CI 0.566-0.785) and 0.632 (95% CI 0.513-0.752), respectively. The optimal cutoff value of the ALBI score in predicting PHLF was -2.62, with a sensitivity of 75.0% and a specificity of 56.5%.

Conclusions

The ALBI score is an effective predictor of PHLF in patients with HCC, and its predictive ability is comparable to that of ICG-R15.

Perioperative Blood Transfusions or Operative Time: Which Drives Post-Hepatectomy Outcomes?

BACKGROUND

Perioperative blood transfusions and operative time are surgical quality indicators. The aim of this analysis is to determine which of these variables drives post-hepatectomy outcomes.

METHODS

Patients undergoing major or partial hepatectomy were identified in the 2014-2018 American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program hepatectomy targeted database. Prolonged operative time was defined as ≥ 240 minutes. Multivariable logistic regressions were performed for multiple postoperative outcomes.

RESULTS

Of 20 521 hepatectomies, 18% of patients received a perioperative transfusion, and the median operative time was 218 minutes. Patients receiving a transfusion had a significant (P < .001) increase in mortality (5.1% vs. .7%) and serious morbidity (43% vs. 16%). Prolonged operative time was associated with significantly (P < .001) increased mortality (2.4% vs. .8%) and serious morbidity (29% vs. 14%). Those with primary hepatobiliary cancer had the highest rates of postoperative morbidity and mortality compared to patients with metastatic and benign disease when a transfusion occurred. On multivariable regression analyses, perioperative transfusions conferred a higher risk (P < .001) than prolonged operative time for mortality (OR 5.02 vs. 1.47) and serious morbidity (OR 2.56 vs. 1.50).

CONCLUSIONS

Perioperative blood transfusions are a more robust predictor of post-hepatectomy outcomes than increased operative time, especially in patients with primary hepatobiliary cancer.