Proposed New Sub-Grouping for Intermediate-Stage Hepatocellular Carcinoma Using Albumin-Bilirubin Grade

We retrospectively evaluated the efficacy of albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) grade, which has been proposed as a new classification for hepatic function, for evaluation of the prognosis of intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer criteria stage B, BCLC-B).

We enrolled 754 naïve BCLC-B patients (multiple tumors) and retrospectively analyzed their clinical features [surgical resection (hepatectomy), n = 170; radiofrequency ablation (RFA), n = 110; percutaneous ethanol injection, n = 7; transcatheter arterial chemoembolization, n = 396; others, n = 25; best supportive care, n = 46]. Four sub-groups were defined for the Modified Intermediate Stage of Liver Cancer (MICAN) criteria as follows: B1 (ALBI-1/within up-to-7 criteria), B2 (ALBI-2/within up-to-7 criteria), B3 (ALBI-1 and ALBI-2/multiple and beyond up-to-7 criteria), and B4 (ALBI-3/any).

The median survival time of patients classified as B1 (n = 94), B2 (n = 175), B3 (n = 452), and B4 (n = 33) was 65.1, 48.1, 29.6, and 14.6 months, respectively (p < 0.01 for each). Those in B1 treated with hepatectomy and RFA comprised 67.0%, while that ratio was 51.4% in B2, 28.3% in B3, and 12.1% in B4.

The MICAN criteria based on ALBI grade are simple and useful for prediction of prognosis and therapy decision-making in the heterogeneous population of BCLC-B patients.