Significance of the HALP score in patients with primary liver cancer undergoing hepatectomy: a meta-analysis.

[AIM] This meta-analysis systematically assesses assessment of the association between the preoperative Hemoglobin, Albumin, Lymphocyte, and Platelet (HALP) score and the prognosis in patients with primary liver cancer undergoing hepatectomy.

[METHODS] A comprehensive exploration was carried out in five different databases to identify relevant articles. Stata 18.0 was employed to compute the combined HRs and 95% CIs for evaluating the relationships with survival endpoints. The primary outcome was overall survival (OS); disease/recurrence-free survival (DFS/RFS) were secondary outcomes.

[RESULTS] Ten studies involving 2968 patients were included. Nine studies assessed the relationship between HALP score and OS (HR = 1.76, 95% CI = 1.53-2.03). Six studies analyzed the correlation with DFS/RFS (HR = 1.51, 95% CI = 1.30-1.76). Subgroup analyses revealed that cutoff values and covariate adjustment were major sources of heterogeneity for DFS/RFS.

[CONCLUSION] A low preoperative HALP score is a notable biomarker for poorer survival in patients diagnosed with primary liver cancer undergoing hepatectomy. Being easily detectable and cost-effective, the HALP score is a valuable addition to existing cancer prognosis assessment tools in clinical practice.