ALB and hepatocellular carcinoma: Univariate analysis revealed that age < 65 years (p = 0.018), presence of ascites (p = 0.009), absence of HCC (p = 0.016), albumin level < 3.3 g/dL (p = 0.030), ammonia level < 125 μg/dL (p = 0.027), and CRP level > 0.69 mg/dL (p = 0.011) were significantly associated with improvement in the liver functional reserve.