Nomogram for predicting liver function recovery in hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma patients after ablation therapy

Abstract

Abstract Background This study investigated the ability of the novel visual transient elastography (ViTE) technique combined with the albumin–bilirubin (ALBI) score to predict liver function recovery (LFR) in hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HBV-related HCC) patients, considering the potential effect of HBV on HCC progression and poor outcomes. Methods Clinical data from 234 HBV patients between January 2022 and August 2023 were retrospectively analysed. Among these patients, 129 had HCC and underwent ablation therapy. All patients underwent preoperative ViTE examination, which recorded their liver stiffness value (LSV), as well as collection of liver function indices before and after ablation. Multivariate logistic regression analysis of risk factors for liver functional deterioration was used to construct a nomogram, which was validated internally. Results During the study period, RFA was performed on 100 patients, while MWA therapy was administered to 29 patients with HCC. The LSV exhibited a significant positive correlation with the preoperative ALBI score in patients with HBV, both those with and without HCC (all p < 0.001). Age, ALBI score and LSV, together with ablative data, were found to be independent predictors of liver functional deterioration after therapy (all p < 0.05). The nomogram built on these variables was validated internally and showed good performance (accuracy = 0.810, kappa = 0.607). According to the clinical decision curve analysis, the threshold of the model was 0.07-1, indicating that the model has high clinical value. Conclusion Based on the ViTE and ALBI, this nomogram serves to enable the personalized prediction of perioperative LFR for patients with HBV-related HCC following ablation therapy.