ALB and liver cancer: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection was present in 136 patients (74.3%), and 144 patients (78.7%) were classified as Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage A. Before PSM, significant differences were observed between the two groups in age (P = 0.022), gender (P = 0.036), and ALB levels (P = 0.041).