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Aim: We aimed to compare the prognostic abilities of two novel liver function-estimating models, Albumin-Bilirubin (ALBI) and Albumin-Indocyanine Green Evaluation (ALICE) grades, in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma., Methods: Data of 1270 patients who underwent initial hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma between 1986 and 2016 were retrospectively collected from a multi-institutional database. The prognostic impact of each system was analyzed according to the results of the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, the Cox regression model and the linear trend χ 2 -test., Results: The ALBI and ALICE scores, which were obtained before grading status, were significantly correlated (correlation coefficient 0.930; P < 0.001). Both ALBI and ALICE grades stratified well in terms of overall survival, and were found to be independent prognostic factors on multivariate analysis (P < 0.05). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curves for 5-year survival in both groups were equivalent (0.602 vs. 0.614, P = 0.402); however, homogeneity, discriminatory ability, and the Akaike information criterion were superior for the ALICE grade than for the ALBI grade (73.8 vs. 65.7, 43.4 vs. 34.9, and 7204.1 vs. 7212.2, respectively)., Conclusions: Both grading systems could estimate the liver function of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Regarding hepatectomy patients, the ALICE grade was a more suitable model than the ALBI grade., (© 2019 The Japan Society of Hepatology.)

Aim: The risk of hepatitis C virus infection-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is lower, with a better prognosis, in patients who achieve a sustained virological response (SVR) than in those who do not. We aimed to identify risk factors of post-hepatectomy HCC recurrence in patients who achieved a SVR., Methods: This retrospective study included 349 HCC patients who underwent an initial radical hepatectomy at our institution between January 2005 and December 2014. Sixty-eight patients had achieved a SVR (the SVR group) and 281 patients had not (the non-SVR group). Clinical characteristics and long-term outcomes were compared between the two groups. Univariate and multivariate analyses identified variables associated with recurrence-free survival in the SVR group., Results: Post-hepatectomy overall and recurrence-free survival rates were significantly higher in the SVR group than the non-SVR group (P < 0.01 and <0.05, respectively). Univariate analysis of post-hepatectomy recurrence-free survival in the SVR group revealed multiple significant factors: aspartate aminotransferase, 25 IU/L or more (P = 0.01); indocyanine green retention rate at 15 min, 20.0% or less (P < 0.05); hepatic vascular invasion (P < 0.05); and an interval of months or less between achieving a SVR and hepatectomy (P < 0.01). Multivariate analysis confirmed an interval of 30 months or less between achieving a SVR and hepatectomy as an independent prognostic factor of recurrence-free survival (hazard ratio, 2.30; 95.0% confidence interval, 1.04-5.13; P < 0.05)., Conclusion: The interval between achieving a SVR and hepatectomy is an important predictor of recurrence in hepatitis C virus infection-related HCC patients who achieved a SVR., (© 2017 The Japan Society of Hepatology.)