Changes in Background Liver Function in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma over 30 Years: Comparison of Child-Pugh Classification and Albumin Bilirubin Grade

Abstract

Background: Background liver function in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has improved remarkably with advances in various treatments. Recently, the Child-Pugh classification (CPC) system has been recognized as limited in its ability to assess patients with good hepatic reserve. We compared the albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) grade, which is suitable for a more detailed evaluation of patients with good liver function, with CPC over a 30-year period. Methods: A total of 2,347 patients were analyzed. Patients were stratified by year of diagnosis into 6 groups: Group A (1990–1994, n = 376), Group B (1995–1999, n = 434), Group C (2000–2004, n = 438), Group D (2005–2009, n = 444), Group E (2010–2014, n = 392), and Group F (2015–2018, n = 263). We compared ALBI grade and CPC across the groups. Results: The prevalence of patients with CPC A at diagnosis increased throughout the study period, reaching nearly 80% in Groups E and F (p < 0.001). By contrast, the percentage of patients with ALBI grade 1 disease remained approximately 50% in Groups E and F (p < 0.001). Modified ALBI (mALBI) grade 2a corresponds to patients with CPC A who have poor hepatic function. There were significant survival differences between patients with mALBI grade 1 versus 2a, 1 versus 2b, and 2a versus 2b disease, respectively (p < 0.0001), in patients with CPC A. Conclusions: CPC is not suitable for assessing patients with recently diagnosed HCC and good remnant hepatic function. In such patients with HCC, the prognosis can be stratified by ALBI grade rather than CPC.