Purpose: The albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) grade is calculated using albumin and bilirubin values. We determined the optimal cutoff value of the ALBI grade for predicting the postoperative prognosis of gastric cancer (GC).
Methods: We retrospectively reviewed a multicenter database of 3571 patients who underwent gastrectomy for GC between January 2010 and December 2014. The modified ALBI (mALBI) grade was determined using cutoff values: grade 1 (mALBI ≤ - 2.70), 2 (mALBI - 2.70 to - 2.10), and 3 (mALBI > - 2.10). We used a validation cohort to evaluate reproducibility.
Results: The entire cohort (n = 956) was randomly assigned to the learning or validation cohorts (n = 478 each). The former was categorized into the following groups by the preoperative mALBI grade: grade 1 (n = 235), grade 2 (n = 162), and grade 3 (n = 81). The disease-specific survival (DSS) rates of the learning and validation cohorts were significantly shortened in association with higher mALBI grade (learning, p = 0.0068; validation, p = 0.0100). A multivariate analysis revealed that mALBI grade 3 served as an independent prognostic factor for DSS. Furthermore, mALBI grade 2 or 3 was associated with a greater risk of disease-specific death in most subgroups.
Conclusion: The mALBI grade accurately predicted the long-term postoperative prognosis of locally advanced GC.
Keywords: Albumin–Bilirubin Grade; Gastric cancer; Liver failure; Malnutrition; Prognosis.
© 2023. The Author(s) under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.