Alteration of prognostic efficacy of albumin-bilirubin grade and Child-Pugh score according to liver fibrosis in hepatocellular carcinoma patients with Child-Pugh A following hepatectomy

Background The albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) grade was developed to predict the prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which can stratify the prognosis even in HCC patients with Child-Pugh A. We evaluated the prognostic efficacy of the ALBI grade and Child-Pugh classification in HCC patients with Child-Pugh A stratified by the presence or absence of advanced fibrosis or a preoperative biomarker for advanced fibrosis. Methods We retrospectively analyzed 490 consecutive HCC patients with Child-Pugh A who underwent initial hepatectomies. The accuracy of prognostic prediction using both models was compared by the presence or absence of advanced fibrosis (F3-4) and its predictor, the preoperative platelet count (PLT). Results The prognostic accuracy of the ALBI grade was better in patients without advanced fibrosis (F3-4; likelihood ratio: 4.39, corrected Akaike information criterion [AICc]: 453.0, P = .074), but Child-Pugh score was better in the advanced fibrosis group (likelihood ratio: 10.67, AICc: 915.2, P = .0014). In the high PLT group (>= 140 x 10(3)/mu L), the prognostic accuracy using the ALBI grade was better in overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS), but in the low PLT group, the Child-Pugh score was the more accurate model in OS and RFS. Conclusions Depending on the degree of fibrosis or preoperative PLT, the ALBI grade and Child-Pugh score may provide more accurate prognoses after initial hepatectomy in HCC patients with Child-Pugh A.