Introduction : The controlling nutritional status (CONUT) score has been reported to correlate with prognosis of gastrointestinal cancer patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the value of preoperative CONUT score as a postoperative prognostic marker in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) following curative hepatectomy.

Methods : We retrospectively analyzed 94 patients who underwent curative hepatectomy for HCC between Jan 2010 and Mar 2018. Patients were assigned to two groups according to their preoperative CONUT score : high CONUT (≥2) or low CONUT (<2), according the optimal cut-off value. Clinicopathological characteristics, surgical outcome, and long term survival were compared between two groups.

Results : The high CONUT group consisted of 47 patients (50 %) and had a poor prognosis with regard to overall survival. (P=0.044) The Cox proportional hazard model was used to identify predictors of survival. Gamma GT, blood transfusion, microvascular invasion, CONUT score were identified as prognostic factors.

Conclusions : Preoperative CONUT score can be a useful preoperative predictor for the patients who undergo curative hepatectomy for HCC.