ALB and hepatocellular carcinoma: Multivariate analysis revealed that older age (HR = 1.08, 95% CI 1.02–1.14, p = 0.009), male gender (HR = 2.38, 95% CI 1.10–5.13, p = 0.027), lower serum albumin levels (HR = 0.92, 95% CI 0.86–1.00, p = 0.037) and higher LSM (HR = 1.03, 95% CI 1.01–1.06, p = 0.001) were independent predictors of HCC development (Table 2).