Published online Sep 7, 2020. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v26.i33.5022
Peer-review started: June 26, 2020
First decision: July 28, 2020
Revised: August 10, 2020
Accepted: August 25, 2020
Article in press: August 25, 2020
Published online: September 7, 2020
Processing time: 69 Days and 15.6 Hours
Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and albumin bilirubin (ALBI) are emerging prognostic indicators in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This review aimed to evaluate the use of these indicators in published clinical studies over the last 5 years.
HCC staging systems are complex and include many parameters to determine the overall therapeutic goals and prognosis. There is a need for a simple way to prognosticate for these patients. ALBI and NLR are numerical values that can be obtained easily from patient records.
To study the published literature of NLR and ALBI from a clinical point of view.
Systematic search over the last 5 years of published literature on NLR and ALBI, and validation of these markers in a retrospective cohort locally in our centre.
NLR is a generic measure of inflammation in infection, cancer and the critically ill. Raised NLR predicted HCC prognosis and survival. ALBI was better than CTP score in predicting overall survival and liver function in HCC patients. NLR and ALBI can be used in prediction of HCC recurrence after surgery, ablation and chemo/ radioembolisation.
NLR and ALBI can be used in staging and prognosis of HCC.
Stakeholders interested in HCC care should consider the use of NLR and ALBI in staging systems for HCC.