Validation and prognostic value of EZ-ALBI score in patients with intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma treated with trans-arterial chemoembolization

Abstract

Background: Heterogeneity of liver function and tumor burden in intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) results in different outcomes after transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). Easy albumin-bilirubin (EZ-ALBI), a simplified albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) score, has recently been proposed as a new prognostic score for HCC. This study aimed to validate the EZ-ALBI score and evaluate the impact of dynamic changes in patients with intermediate-stage HCC undergoing TACE. Methods: All patients with HCC treated with TACE at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand, between January 2015 and December 2019 were prospectively enrolled. Intermediate-stage HCC was defined as Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage B or unresectable single HCC with size > 5 cm in BCLC stage A. EZ-ALBI and ALBI scores were calculated and stratified into three different grades. Overall survival (OS) and prognostic factors were assessed using the Kaplan–Meier curve and Cox proportional hazard model. Decision analysis curves were used to evaluate the clinical utility of the predictive scores. Results: Among 672 patients with HCC treated with TACE, 166 patients with intermediate-stage HCC who met the eligibility criteria were enrolled. The median OS of all patients in the cohort was 21 months. A good correlation between the EZ-ALBI and ALBI scores was observed (correlation coefficient 1.000, p < 0.001). The baseline EZ-ALBI grades 1, 2, and 3 were 24.5%, 70%, and 5.5%, respectively. EZ-ALBI grade can stratify patients with significantly different prognoses (p = 0.002). Baseline EZ-ALBI grade 2, 3, and serum alpha-fetoprotein > 20 ng/ml were significantly associated with OS [hazard ratio (HR) 2.20 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.24–3.88, p = 0.007), 3.26 (95% CI 1.24–8.57, p = 0.016), and 1.77 (95% CI 1.10–2.84, p = 0.018), respectively]. Following TACE, 42 (29.6%) patients had a worsening EZ-ALBI grade. However, the EZ-ALBI grade migration was not significantly correlated with OS. EZ-ALBI and ALBI score provided improved discriminatory ability (Harrell’s concordance index 0.599 and 0.602, respectively) and better net benefit compared with Child-Turcotte-Pugh and Model for End-stage Liver Disease scores. Conclusions: The baseline EZ-ALBI score demonstrated good predictive performance for survival and a strong correlation with conventional ALBI scores. Both the EZ-ALBI and ALBI scores outperformed other prognostic models in patients with intermediate-stage HCC receiving TACE. However, the dynamic change in the EZ-ALBI grade after TACE was not associated with postprocedural survival.