Platelet-albumin-bilirubin grade: Risk stratification of liver failure, prognosis after resection for hepatocellular carcinoma

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.

Predicting Post-Hepatectomy Liver Failure in HCC Patients: A Review of Liver Function Assessment Based on Laboratory Tests Scores

The assessment of liver function is crucial in predicting the risk of post-hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) in patients undergoing liver resection, especially in cases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) which is often associated with cirrhosis. There are currently no standardized criteria for predicting the risk of PHLF. Blood tests are often the first- and least invasive expensive method for assessing hepatic function. The Child-Pugh score (CP score) and the Model for End Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score are widely used tools for predicting PHLF, but they have some limitations. The CP score does not consider renal function, and the evaluation of ascites and encephalopathy is subjective. The MELD score can accurately predict outcomes in cirrhotic patients, but its predictive capabilities diminish in non-cirrhotic patients. The albumin-bilirubin score (ALBI) is based on serum bilirubin and albumin levels and allows the most accurate prediction of PHLF for HCC patients. However, this score does not consider liver cirrhosis or portal hypertension. To overcome this limitation, researchers suggest combining the ALBI score with platelet count, a surrogate marker of portal hypertension, into the platelet-albumin-bilirubin (PALBI) grade. Non-invasive markers of fibrosis, such as FIB-4 and APRI, are also available for predicting PHLF but they focus only on cirrhosis related aspects and are potentially incomplete in assessing the global liver function. To improve the predictive power of the PHLF of these models, it has been proposed to combine them into a new score, such as the ALBI-APRI score. In conclusion, blood test scores may be combined to achieve a better predictive value of PHLF. However, even if combined, they may not be sufficient to evaluate liver function and to predict PHLF; thus, the inclusion of dynamic and imaging tests such as liver volumetry and ICG r15 may be helpful to potentially improve the predictive capacity of these models.

Prognostic value of the albumin-bilirubin score in patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma-associated hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis

Secondary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (sHLH) is a rare life-threatening systemic disease. This study aimed to assess the prognostic value of pretreatment albumin-bilirubin (ALBI). We retrospectively analyzed 168 non-Hodgkin lymphoma-associated secondary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (NHL-sHLH) patients with hepatic injuries. Multivariable logistic/Cox models and restricted cubic spline models were conducted to evaluate the relationships between the ALBI score and short- and long-term survival. Among 168 adult NHL-sHLH patients, 82 (48.8%) patients died within 30 days after admission, and 144 (85.7%) patients died during the follow-up period. Multivariable logistic/Cox regression model indicated that ALBI grade could be an independent risk factor for predicting the prognosis of patients with 30-day mortality and overall survival (odds ratios [OR]_{30 days} 5.37, 95% confidence interval 2.41-12.64, P < 0.001; hazard ratios [HR]_OS 1.52, 95% confidence interval 1.06-2.18, P = 0.023), respectively. The restricted cubic spline curve displayed a linear and positive relationship between the ALBI score and risk of mortality (P for nonlinearity =0.503). Furthermore, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that the area under the curve (AUC) for predicting mortality by integrative analysis of the ALBI score and ferritin was significantly improved compared to the ALBI score (AUC _{30 days}: 0.820 vs 0.693, P = 0.001; AUC_{1 year}: 0.754 vs 0.681, P = 0.043) or ferritin (AUC_{30 days}: 0.820 vs 0.724, P = 0.005; AUC_{1 year}: 0.754 vs 0.658, P = 0.031) alone. The ALBI score could be a useful indicator of short and long-term survival for NHL-sHLH patients with hepatic injuries.

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.

Albumin-bilirubin score predicts trastuzumab resistance in HER2-positive breast cancer

BACKGROUND

The albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) score is a novel indicator of liver function. Some studies showed that the ALBI score was a predictive marker for the prognosis and efficacy of drug therapy in malignancies. We aimed to assess the predicted role of ALBI score in the sensitivity to therapy with trastuzumab in patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) positive breast cancer (BC). The clinical data of 226 HER2-positive BC patients at the Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital from January 2017 and December 2018 were retrospectively collected. The ALBI score was calculated with serum albumin and bilirubin before diagnosis. The associations between ALBI score and trastuzumab resistance were analyzed by logistic regression analyses. The patients with trastuzumab resistance had higher ALBI scores compared with the patients without trastuzumab resistance. Moreover, there were weak correlations between the ALBI score and lymph node status (P= 0.093). In addition, multivariate analysis revealed that the ALBI score was an independent prognostic factor for trastuzumab resistance in HER2-positive BC. High ALBI score is associated with trastuzumab resistance in HER2-positive BC. Future studies are needed.

Prognostic Value of Platelet-Albumin-Bilirubin Grade in Child-Pugh A and B Patients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Meta-Analysis

Background

Numerous studies showed that preoperative platelet-albumin-bilirubin (PALBI) grade was closely related to the prognostic outcome of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the conclusions were inconsistent. Therefore, we implemented the study to comprehensively evaluate the association between PALBI grade and prognosis in patients with HCC.

Methods

Relevant articles were collected from the specified databases until February 10, 2022. We included all studies exploring the relationship between PALBI grade and prognosis in HCC patients. We used the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) to calculate the comprehensive analysis. All data analyses were performed using STATA 12.0.

Results

Thirteen retrospective articles containing 15534 patients were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled results displayed that the high PALBI grade was obviously correlated with poor overall survival (OS) (HR: 1.71, 95% CI: 1.46-2.02) and disease-free survival/relapse-free survival (DFS/RFS) (HR:1.31; 95% CI: 1.11–1.54). Subgroup analyses further confirmed the reliability of the comprehensive results.

Conclusions

PALBI may be a valid prognostic indicator in HCC patients. More investigations were needed to test our findings.

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.

Prognostic Value of the Systemic Immune-Inflammation Index and Prognostic Nutritional Index in Patients With Medulloblastoma Undergoing Surgical Resection

Background: The progression and metastasis of cancers are associated with systematic immune inflammation and nutritional dysfunction. The systemic immune-inflammation index and prognostic nutritional index (PNI) have shown a prognostic impact in several malignancies. Therefore, our study aimed to evaluate immune inflammation and nutritional index prognostic significance in patients with medulloblastoma (MB).

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 111 patients with MB between 2001 and 2021 at our institution. The optimal cutoff values for systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), monocyte/lymphocyte counts ration (MLR), and PNI were evaluated with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Clinical characteristics and SII, NLR, MLR, and PNI were tested with the Pearson's chi-squared test. The Kaplan–Meier survival curves and the Cox proportional hazards model were used to evaluate the effects of immune inflammation and nutritional index on overall survival (OS).

Results: Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis determined the optimal SII, NLR, MLR, and PNI cutoff values of 2,278, 14.83, 0.219, and 56.5 that significantly interacts with OS and divided the patients into two groups. Comparative survival analysis exhibited that the high-SII cohort had significantly shorter OS (p = 0.0048) than the low-SII cohort. For the univariate analysis, the results revealed that preoperative hydrocephalus (p = 0.01), SII (p = 0.006), albumin–bilirubin score (ALBI) (p = 0.04), and coSII–PNI were predictors of OS. In the multivariate analysis, preoperative hydrocephalus (p < 0.001), ALBI (p = 0.010), SII (p < 0.001), and coSII–PNI as independent prognostic factors were significantly correlated with OS.

Conclusion: The preoperative SII, ALBI, and coSII–PNI serve as robust prognostic biomarkers for patients with MB undergoing surgical resection.

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.

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.

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.

Development and Validation of a Nomogram Based on Noninvasive Liver Reserve and Fibrosis (PALBI and FIB-4) Model to Predict Posthepatectomy Liver Failure Grade B-C in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatectomy is currently one of the most effective treatments for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, postoperative liver failure (PHLF) is a serious complication and the leading cause of mortality in patients with HCC after hepatectomy. This study attempted to develop a novel nomogram based on noninvasive liver reserve and fibrosis models, platelet-albumin-bilirubin grade (PALBI) and fibrosis-4 index (FIB-4), able to predict PHLF grade B-C. This was a single-centre retrospective study of 574 patients with HCC undergoing hepatectomy between 2014 and 2018. The independent risk factors of PHLF were screened using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Multivariate logistic regression was performed using the training set, and the nomogram was developed and visualised. The utility of the model was evaluated in a validation set using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. A total of 574 HCC patients were included (383 in the training set and 191 for the validation set) and included PHLF grade B-C complications of 14.8, 15.4, and 13.6%, respectively. Overall, cirrhosis (P < 0.026, OR = 2.296, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1.02–4.786), major hepatectomy (P=0.031, OR = 2.211, 95% CI 1.077–4.542), ascites (P=0.014, OR = 3.588, 95% 1.299–9.913), intraoperative blood loss (P < 0.001, OR = 4.683, 95% CI 2.281–9.616), PALBI score >−2.53 (, OR = 3.609, 95% CI 1.486–8.764), and FIB-4 score ≥1.45 (P < 0.001, OR = 5.267, 95% CI 2.077–13.351) were identified as independent risk factors associated with PHLF grade B-C in the training set. The areas under the ROC curves for the nomogram model in predicting PHLF grade B-C were significant for both the training and validation sets (0.832 vs 0.803). The proposed nomogram predicted PHLF grade B-C among patients with HCC with a better prognostic accuracy than other currently available fibrosis and noninvasive liver reserve models.

Prognostic significance of postoperative change of PALBI grade for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma after hepatectomy

The platelet-albumin-bilirubin (PALBI) grade plays critical role in evaluating liver function. However, the change of PALBI grade from the preoperative to postoperative period in predicting patient outcomes after hepatectomy remains unclear.A total of 489 HCC patients who underwent hepatectomy in West China Hospital between January, 2010 and June, 2016 were analyzed retrospectively.ΔPALBI grade was calculated by PALBI grade at the first postoperative month - preoperative PALBI grade.ΔPALBI >0 was considered as stable; otherwise, worse PALBI grade was considered. Kaplan- Meier method and Cox proportional hazard regression analyses were performed for survival analysis. Prognostic model was constructed by nomogram method.Three hundred forty two patients and 147 patients were classified into training group and validation group, respectively. In the training group, results from Cox model suggested that worse PALBI grade (HR 1.328, 95% CI 1.010-1.746, P = .042), tumor size (HR 1.460, 95% CI 1.058-2.015, P = .021), microvascular invasion (MVI, HR 1.802, 95% CI 1.205-2.695, P < .001), and high alpha-fetoprotein level (AFP, HR 1.364, 95% CI 1.044-1.781, P = .023) negatively influenced postoperative recurrence. Similarly, worse PALBI grade (HR 1.403, 95% CI 1.020-1.930, P = .038), tumor size (HR 1.708, 95% CI 1.157-2.520, P = .007), MVI (HR 1.914, 95% CI 1.375-2.663, P < .001), and presence of cirrhosis (HR 1.773, 95% CI 1.226-2.564, P = .002) had negatively impacts on overall survival. Patients with worse PALBI grade had worse recurrence free (RFS) and overall survival (OS). The prognostic model incorporating the change of PALBI grade constructed in training group and tested in the validation group could perform well in predicting the outcomes.Postoperative change of PALBI grade was independently risk factor related with prognosis. Prognostic model incorporating the change of PALBI grade might be a useful index to predict the prognosis of HCC patients following hepatectomy.

Lymphocyte-C-reactive protein ratio as a novel prognostic index in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: A multicentre cohort study

BACKGROUND & AIMS

The lymphocyte-C-reactive protein ratio (LCR) is a novel inflammatory-based score, based solely on the lymphocyte and C-reactive protein. We aimed to clarify the prognostic value of the LCR score in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) patients after resection.

METHODS

We compared the prognostic accuracy of the LCR score with other inflammatory-based scores in this large, multicentre cohort study. The independent variables associated with overall survival (OS) were explored in both the primary (n = 228) and validation cohorts (n = 135). Harrell's concordance index (C-index) was used to compare the predictive ability of all the assessed inflammatory-based scores.

RESULTS

The LCR score was differentiated two groups of ICC patients with distinct prognoses (1-, 3-, and 5-year OS rates: 94.4%, 66.3%, and 59.3%; and 66.6%, 45.6%, and 32.7%, respectively) (P < .001). Multivariate analysis showed that the LCR score, as well as the TNM stage and preoperative CA19-9 level, were independently associated with OS. The predictive accuracy of the LCR score (c score: 0.634) was superior to that of the other inflammatory-based scores (c scores: 0.508-0.615). These findings were supported by the external validation cohort.

CONCLUSION

The LCR score is stable and consistently the best prognostic score and may offer as a simple, objective and discriminatory method in facilitating the risk stratification of ICC patients.

The Significance of Platelet-Albumin-Bilirubin (PALBI) Grade in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients Stratified According to Platelet Count

Background

Platelet–albumin–bilirubin (PALBI) has been demonstrated to be superior to conventional Child–Pugh (C-P) grade in evaluating liver function and prognosis of HCC patients. However, both thrombocytosis and thrombocytopenia are unfavorable for HCC survival. The aim of this study was to preliminarily investigate the prognostic value of PALBI in HCC patients with thrombocytopenia and excluding thrombocytopenia.

Methods

In this retrospective cohort study, we reviewed 465 cases of HCC patients who underwent radical surgery. PALBI grade was calculated based on preoperative serological examinations. The primary outcomes were overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS), which were assessed by Kaplan–Meier method and Cox regression. The prognostic performances of PALBI and other models were estimated by using the concordance index (C-index).

Results

During a median follow-up time of 28 months, 31.6% (147/465) of patients died and 33.5% (156/465) experienced recurrence. Multivariate analyses revealed that both thrombocytosis and thrombocytopenia were independently associated with poor OS and RFS compared with normal platelet count (PLT) in HCC patients. Stratified analysis further revealed that PALBI was a significant predictor for HCC survival in patients excluding thrombocytopenia but not in patients with thrombocytopenia. In particular, in HCC patients excluding thrombocytopenia, the combination of tumor size with PALBI (C-index = 0.730, 95% CI: 0.674–0.786) may be superior to the classical Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) and Cancer of Liver Italian Program (CLIP) staging systems in predicting survival.

Conclusion

In conclusion, PALBI grade, in particular the combination with tumor size, is an effective model for discriminating survival in HCC patients excluding thrombocytopenia but not in thrombocytopenic HCC patients.

Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio and albumin bilirubin grade in hepatocellular carcinoma: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a frequent cause of cancer related death globally. Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and albumin bilirubin (ALBI) grade are emerging prognostic indicators in HCC.

AIM

To study published literature of NLR and ALBI over the last five years, and to validate NLR and ALBI locally in our centre as indicators of HCC survival.

METHODS

A systematic review of the published literature on PubMed of NLR and ALBI in HCC over the last five years. The search followed the guidelines of the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Additionally, we also investigated HCC cases between December 2013 and December 2018 in our centre.

RESULTS

There were 54 studies describing the relation between HCC and NLR and 95 studies describing the relation between HCC and ALBI grade over the last five years. Our local cohort of patients showed NLR to have a significant negative relationship to survival (P = 0.011). There was also significant inverse relationship between the size of the largest HCC nodule and survival (P = 0.009). Median survival with alpha fetoprotein (AFP) < 10 KU/L was 20 mo and with AFP > 10 KU/L was 5 mo. We found that AFP was inversely related to survival, this relationship was not statically significant (P = 0.132). Mean survival for ALBI grade 1 was 37.7 mo, ALBI grade 2 was 13.4 months and ALBI grade 3 was 4.5 mo. ALBI grades performed better than Child Turcotte Pugh score in detecting death from HCC.

CONCLUSION

NLR and ALBI grade in HCC predict survival better than the conventional alpha fetoprotein. ALBI grade performs better than Child Turcotte Pugh score. These markers are done as part of routine clinical care and in cases of normal alpha fetoprotein, these markers could give a better understanding of the patient disease progression. NLR and ALBI grade could have a role in modified easier to learn staging and prognostic systems for HCC.

Prognostic role of preoperative albumin-bilirubin grade on patients with hepatocellular carcinoma after surgical resection: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Recent studies have reported albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) grade affected the prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). To more precisely evaluate the relationship among the ALBI grade and the prognosis of patients with HCC after liver resection. We systematically retrieved articles from PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and CNKI. The prognostic value of ALBI grade on overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) of patients with HCC after liver resection was evaluated by pooled hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence interval (CI).Through multiple databases search, we enrolled 20 high-quality studies with 11365 patients, regarding the association between the ALBI grade and the prognosis of patients with HCC after liver resection. Our results showed that higher ALBI grade is associated with poored OS (HR, 1.64; 95% CI: 1.51-1.78; P < 0.001; I = 24.9%) and RFS (HR, 1.42; 95% CI: 1.26-1.59; P < 0.001; I = 0). Moreover, subgroup analysis showed the significant correlation between ALBI grade and poor long-term survival was not altered in different geographical areas, sample sizes, follow-up duration, and quality scores. The ALBI grade may be as effective predictive biomarkers for prognosis in patients with HCC after liver resection.

Systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) but not platelet-albumin-bilirubin (PALBI) grade is associated with severity of acute ischemic stroke (AIS)

Introduction: Inflammation plays an important role in stroke. Many inflammatory markers in peripheral blood are proved to be associated with stroke severity or prognosis. But few comprehensive models or scales to evaluate the severity of stroke have been reported. Systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) and platelet-albumin-bilirubin (PALBI) grade as new markers of inflammation have shown their positive association with liver cancer. The relation between SII, or PALBI and stroke remains uncertain.Objective: To investigate the relationship between SII, PALBI grade and stroke severity.Methods: Patients with ischemic stroke with hospital admission <24 h after symptom onset were prospectively included in a stroke registry. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory data were collected immediately after admission in all patients. The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) was used to assess stroke severity upon admission. Minor stroke was defined as NIHSS score < =5, moderate-to-severe stroke as NIHSS score >5. SII, calculated as platelet × neutrophil/lymphocyte was divided into four groups according to interquartile range: lowest SII (SII < 353.9 × 10⁹/L), low SII (353.9-532.8 × 10⁹/L), high SII (532.8-783.9 × 10⁹/L), and highest SII (>783.9 × 10⁹/L) group.Results: A total of 362 patients with ischemic stroke were included, and between minor and moderate-to-severe stroke significant difference was found in SII (p < 0.0001), NLR (p < 0.0001), and PLR (p = 0.001), respectively. After multivariate regression analyses, SII groups (Odd ratio = 1.351, 95% confidence interval 1.084-1.684, p = 0.007) not PALBI was an independent risk factor for stroke severity.Conclusion: We found that SII but not PALBI, which both are markers of inflammation, was independently associated with stroke severity.

Treatment optimization for recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma: Repeat hepatic resection versus radiofrequency ablation

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

The optimal treatment strategy for recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unclear. Therefore, we aimed to compare the outcomes of repeat hepatic resection (RHR) and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for recurrent HCC.

METHOD

From December 2004 to December 2015, 138 patients who underwent RHR and 194 patients who underwent RFA were enrolled. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to establish 1:1 RHR-RFA group matching. Clinical outcomes were compared before and after matching.

RESULTS

Before matching, the 1-, 3-, and 5-year postrecurrence survival (PRS) rates were 91.8%, 82.0%, and 72.9% for the RHR group (n = 138) and 94.4%, 75.4%, and 61.7% for the RFA group (n = 194), respectively (P = .380). After matching, the PRS rates at 1, 3, and 5 years were 90.5%, 81.5%, and 71.8% for the RHR group (n = 120) and 91.0%, 61.0%, and 41.7% for the RFA group (n = 120), respectively (P = .002). In the subgroup analysis, the PRS rates for the RHR group were better than those for the RFA group for patients who relapsed within 2 years (P = .004) or patients with primary tumor burden beyond the Milan criteria (P = .004). Multivariate analysis showed that treatment allocation was identified as an independent prognostic factor for PRS.

CONCLUSION

Compared with RFA, RHR provided a survival advantage for recurrent HCC, especially for patients who relapsed within 2 years and those with primary tumor burden beyond the Milan criteria.