Development and validation of prealbumin-bilirubin score (preALBI score) for predicting long-term survival after hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma: A multicenter analysis versus ALBI score

•Prealbumin, with more robust hazard ratios, narrower confidence intervals, may be a better predictive factor compared to albumin for patients after surgical resection of hepatocellular carcinoma.•The preALBI score was associated with the best monotonicity of gradients and homogeneity.•The preALBI score represents a promising tool for better patient stratification, providing more accurate prognostic predictions.