The role of albumin–bilirubin grade and inflammation-based index in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma treated with stereotactic body radiotherapy

Purpose We evaluated the prognostic accuracy of the albumin–bilirubin (ALBI) grade and the inflammation-based index (IBI) in estimating overall survival (OS) and toxicity in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated with stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT). Materials and methods Forty patients with 47 HCC lesions with a Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) classification stage B or C were treated with SBRT in 3–12 fractions. The ALBI grade and the IBI were calculated at different time points (baseline, during, at the end of treatment and at follow-up) and compared with the Child-Pugh (CP) score as well as other patient- and treatment-related parameters, concerning OS and toxicity. Results The median follow-up was 14.3 months for patients alive. The median OS from SBRT was 10 (95% confidence interval 8.3–11.6) months. The local control at 1 year was 79%. A lower IBI during treatment was associated with better OS ( p = 0.034) but not CP and ALBI. Higher C‑reactive protein levels as well as higher alpha-fetoprotein concentrations correlated with worse survival ( p = 0.001). Both higher ALBI ( p = 0.02) and CTP ( p = 0.001) at baseline correlated with a higher incidence of acute and late toxicities (CTC ≥2). Neither the mean radiation dose to the liver nor the dose to 700 cc of the liver correlated with the occurrence of toxicities. Conclusions In this analysis, a higher ALBI grade as well as a higher CP were predictors of higher incidence of toxicity, whereas a lower IBI during treatment correlated with a better OS. These results should be further evaluated in prospective studies.