ALBI Score Is a Strong Predictor of Toxicity Following SIRT for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Background: Selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) is an innovative treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) score was designed to better evaluate liver functions in HCC.

Methods: We studied, retrospectively, data from patients treated with SIRT for HCC. The primary endpoint was the occurrence of radioembolization-induced liver disease (REILD). The secondary endpoint was overall survival (OS).

Results: 222 patients were studied. The ALBI grade 1 patients had significantly less REILD (3.4%) after the first SIRT than ALBI grade 2 or 3 patients (16.8%, p = 0.002). Of the 207 patients with data, 77 (37.2%) had a worsening of ALBI grade after one SIRT. The baseline ALBI grade was significantly associated with OS (p = 0.001), also in the multivariable analysis. The ALBI grade after the first SIRT was significantly associated with OS (p ≤ 0.001), with median OS of 26.4 months (CI 95% 18.2-34.7) for ALBI grade 1 patients (n = 48) versus 17.3 months (CI 95% 12.9-21.8) for ALBI grade 2 patients (n = 123) and 8.1 months (CI 95% 4.1-12.1) for ALBI grade 3 patients (n = 36).

Conclusions: The baseline ALBI grade is a strong predictor of REILD. The baseline ALBI score and variations of ALBI are prognostic after SIRT.