SAN FRANCISCO – The PALBI liver function score measuring platelet count, albumin, and bilirubin was more effective than Child-Pugh score at predicting survival in hepatocellular carcinoma patients.
“We wanted to get a purely objective score to assess liver function in people with liver disease, and also wanted a score that was more granular and had more refinement to it than [Child-Pugh score] classification,” explained Dr. Sasan Roayaie of North Shore-LIJ Health System, New York.
“By combining those three very objective, readily available lab tests, we were able to come up with a score that we were then able to show in an independent validation cohort of more than 4,000 [hepatocellular carcinoma] patients predicted survival,” he added.
In an interview at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, Dr. Roayaie discussed PALBI’s development and its potential clinical impact.